The South African Open Championship is one of the oldest national open golf championships in the world, and is one of the principal tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. Since 1997 it has also been co-sanctioned by the European Tour, and as the flagship event on the Sunshine Tour, the tournament also receives special status from the Official World Golf Rankings, with the winner being guaranteed a minimum of 32 points regardless of the strength of the field.[1]
The first formal event was organised in 1903, following a series of exhibition matches that had been held over the preceding ten years. The championship was initially contested over just 36 holes until 1908, when it was extended to become a 72 hole tournament. Although non-whites had played in the South African Open before, most notably when Papwa Sewgolum finished second in 1963, it was not until 1972 that black golfers were allowed to compete.[2]
The South African Open currently takes place at the Durban Country Club in Durban in December, and falls into the following year's European Tour schedule, as the tour season begins in the preceding calendar year.
Gary Player has been the most successful player in the tournament's history, with 13 victories over four decades between 1956 and 1981. Bobby Locke won nine titles.business opportunity
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Subject: The South African Open 
