The Victoria Falls Classic was a Rhodesian golf tournament held from 1976 to 1979. Starting in 1977 it was on the Southern African Tour.
History edit
The event was played at Elephant Hills Country Club at Victoria Falls, Rhodesia. The course was a par-73 measuring 7,868 yards.[1] It was the longest course in Africa.[2]
The inaugural event was sponsored by Meikles. Englishman Nick Job beat South African Andries Oosthuizen in a sudden-death playoff after they had tied on 293.[3] The following year, days after the event, the Elephant Hills Country Club was destroyed by fire, after being hit by a missile during the Rhodesian Bush War.[4][5] In 1978, the war was still going on but the tournament continued to be played.[6]
Winners edit
- 1976
Nick Job[3] - 1977
John Bland[7] - 1978 Simon Hobday[citation needed]
- 1979 Phil Simmons[8]
References edit
- ^ "Bland's blitz". Western Daily Press. 29 October 1977. p. 16. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Golfers out to brave a course with teeth". Birmingham Evening Mail. 8 November 1978. p. 34. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Meikles Classic (at Victoria Falls)". The Guardian. 15 November 1976. p. 17.
- ^ "To The Victoria Falls – Development of the Victoria Falls". www.tothevictoriafalls.com.
- ^ "Rocket attack greets Carver". The Glasgow Herald. 3 November 1977. p. 2 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Steel, Donald (12 November 1978). "World-wide harvest". The Sunday Telegraph. p. 37. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "John Bland". The Glasgow Herald. 31 October 1977. p. 21 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Victoria Falls Classic". Sunshine Tour Information Centre. Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 8 December 2022.