The 1977–78 Southern Africa Tour was the seventh season of the Southern Africa Tour, the main professional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.
| Duration | 19 October 1977 – 3 December 1977 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 6 |
| Most wins |  John Bland (3) |
| Order of Merit | John Bland |
← 1976–77 1978–79 → | |
Season outline edit
The season was dominated by John Bland and Gary Player. Bland won the first two events however Player won the consecutive events in the middle of the season to close in on Order of Merit honors. Bland, however, won the final event, the Holiday Inns Invitational, to capture the Order of Merit.
South African John Bland had much success at the beginning of the season. He won the first event of the year, the Lexington PGA Championship, by two shots over joint runner-up Player.[1] The following week, he also won the Victoria Falls Classic.[2]
Later in the season, Player had much success. In November, he played the Yellow Pages South African Open which held at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club. He shot a course-record 63 in the third round which helped him take a three shot lead over Dale Hayes.[3] He went on to defeat Hayes and Bobby Cole by the same margin.[4] He also won the ICL International the following week.[4] Bland, however, won the final event, the Holiday Inns Invitational.[5] This helped him secure the Order of Merit title over Player.[6]
Schedule edit
The following table lists official events during the 1977–78 season.[7][8]
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) |
Winner[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct | Lexington PGA Championship | Transvaal | 50,000 | John Bland (1) |
|
| 29 Oct | Victoria Falls Classic | Rhodesia | 50,000 | John Bland (2) |
New to Southern Africa Tour |
| 6 Nov | Rhodesian Dunlop Masters | Rhodesia | Rh$14,000 | Allan Henning (6) |
|
| 12 Nov | Yellow Pages South African Open | Transvaal | 40,000 | Gary Player (13) |
|
| 19 Nov | ICL International | Transvaal | 25,000 | Gary Player (14) |
|
| 3 Dec | Holiday Inns Invitational | Swaziland | 20,000 | John Bland (3) |
Order of Merit edit
The Order of Merit was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in South African rand.[8][6]
| Position | Player | Prize money (R) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Bland |
25,171 |
| 2 | Gary Player |
21,450 |
| 3 | Bobby Cole |
18,150 |
| 4 | John Fourie |
11,480 |
| 5 | Dale Hayes |
11,399 |
Notes edit
- ^ The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Southern Africa Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Southern Africa Tour members.
References edit
- ^ "Seven-shot victory for Pate". The Glasgow Herald. Glasgow, United Kingdom. 24 October 1977. p. 21. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Google News Archive.
John Bland won the South African PGA Championship on Saturday with a five-under-par total of 275.
- ^ "Dunbarton double". The Glasgow Herald. Glasgow, United Kingdom. 31 October 1977. p. 21. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Google News Archive.
John Bland brushed off a late challenge by fellow South African, John Fourie, to win the £34,000 Victoria Falls golf classic by three strokes with 283.
- ^ "Player takes lead with 63". The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. 12 November 1977. p. 27. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Undefeated champions". The Glasgow Herald. Glasgow, United Kingdom. 14 November 1977. p. 30 (29 in paper). Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Google News Archive.
Gary Player won his eleventh South African open title in Johannesburg on Saturday...
- ^ "1977 Holiday Inns Invitational". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Bland earns World Series spot". The Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. 6 February 1978. p. 23. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
Bland, 32, won three of six events on the South African tour, earning $25,170. He edged Gary Player, who finished with $21,450.
- ^ "1977/78 Tournament schedule". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ a b Simms, George (1978). World of Golf 1978. Queen Anne Press. pp. 132–135. ISBN 0354090356. Retrieved 24 November 2023 – via Archive.org.