Nelson Mandela Championship

The Nelson Mandela Championship was a golf tournament, played for the first time in December 2012. It was played in Durban, South Africa and was co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. It was sponsored by the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. It was the first event of the 2013 European Tour.[1]

Nelson Mandela Championship
Tournament information
LocationDurban, South Africa
Established2012
Course(s)Mount Edgecombe Country Club
Par70
Length6,612 yards (6,046 m)
Tour(s)Sunshine Tour
European Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fund1,000,000
Month playedDecember
Final year2013
Final champion
South Africa Dawie van der Walt
Location map
Mount Edgecombe CC is located in South Africa
Mount Edgecombe CC
Mount Edgecombe CC
Location in South Africa
Mount Edgecombe CC is located in KwaZulu-Natal
Mount Edgecombe CC
Mount Edgecombe CC
Location in KwaZulu-Natal

The first ever event was reduced to 36 holes due to rain and in order for the tournament to commence the course was reduced to a par 65 and was 1600 yards shorter. The tournament ended in a playoff. Eduardo de la Riva dropped out with a bogey on the first extra hole, Steve Webster made a bogey on the second extra hole, and Scott Jamieson won with a par. It was his first European Tour victory in his 65th event.

The second event was a week after Nelson Mandela's death. His funeral was on Sunday 15 December so the tournament was moved forward one day and played Wednesday through Saturday, 11–14 December. Again, this tournament was suspended several times due to a water-logged course and shortened to 54 holes, with one of the holes being shortened from a par 5 to a par 4. Spain's Jorge Campillo and South Africa's Colin Nel shot 59 in the second round, but the European Tour considers them unofficial after the use preferred lies, which allowed players to lift, clean and place their ball.[2] South Africa's Dawie van der Walt earned his second European Tour win.

Winners

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Year Tours[a] Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runners-up Venue
2013 AFR, EUR   Dawie van der Walt 195[b] −15 2 strokes   Matthew Baldwin
  Jorge Campillo
Mount Edgecombe
2012 AFR, EUR   Scott Jamieson 123[c] −7 Playoff[d]   Eduardo de la Riva
  Steve Webster
Royal Durban

Notes

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  1. ^ AFR − Sunshine Tour; EUR − European Tour.
  2. ^ Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
  3. ^ Shortened to 36 holes due to heavy rain.
  4. ^ Jamieson won with a par on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff; De la Riva was eliminated on the first extra hole.

References

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  1. ^ "South African launch for 2013 Race to Dubai". 3 December 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  2. ^ "Nelson Mandela Championship: 59s disallowed as Tour record". BBC Sport. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
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