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The Safari Circuit, or Safari Tour, was a small
professional golf tour Professional golf tours are the means by which otherwise unconnected Professional golfer, professional golf tournaments are organised into a regular schedule. There are separate tours for men and women; most are based in a specific geographical reg ...
based in West and East Africa that ran from the 1970s through into the 1990s. From 1977, the tour was organised by the
PGA European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...
and from 1991 the tournaments were included on the second-tier
Challenge Tour The Challenge Tour is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and, as with on the main European Tour and the European Senior Tour, some of the events are played outside Europe. History The ...
schedule.


History

The Safari Circuit developed in the late 1960s as British
professionals A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
sought to play some competitive tournament golf while working in Africa during the winter prior to the start of the tournament circuit in
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
and
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. Originally centred around a few tournaments in
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
and
Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
, as it evolved the tour became known colloquially as the "safari circuit" or "safari tour". The Cock o' the North tournament at Ndola Golf Club in
Ndola Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia and third in terms of size and population, with a population of 475,194 (''2010 census provisional''), after the capital, Lusaka, and Kitwe, and the second largest in terms of infrastructure development aft ...
, Zambia had been held since 1954, being mostly patronised by players from Southern and Central Africa. When the
Kenya Open The Kenya Open, titled as the Magical Kenya Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament in Kenya founded in 1967. History The Kenya Open was an associate event on the Far East Circuit in 1967 and 1968, after which it became a ...
was founded in 1967, followed by the
Lusaka Open The Lusaka Open was a men's professional golf tournament played at Lusaka Golf Club in Zambia between 1969 and 1979. It was one of three Zambian events on the Safari Circuit schedule. The event pre-dated the Zambia Open The Zambia Open is a men ...
in 1969 and the
Mufulira Open The Mufulira Open was a men's professional golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does ...
in 1970, attracting professionals from Great Britain and Ireland, the circuit began to form. In 1972, the
Zambia Open The Zambia Open is a men's professional golf tournament played in Zambia, that has been part of the Sunshine Tour since 1996, and was co-sanctioned by the European-based Challenge Tour from 2001 to 2004. It was also an event on the Challenge Tour ...
was founded, which was initially hosted in rotation by the three existing tournament hosts (Lusaka, Mufulira, Ndola). In the mid-1970s, the Nigerian Open was also included with the circuit being split into legs in West and East Africa. There were many other smaller events surrounding the main tournaments, such as the Gambian and Liberian opens, and the Benin and Port Harcourt pro-ams in Nigeria. In 1977, the British Professional Golfers' Association assumed control of the circuit and the number of Zambian events was reduced to two in order to accommodate the fledgling
European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...
, which was starting earlier in the year. During this period the Ndola and Mufulira events alternated on the schedule, with Lusaka being held annually. In the 1980s the Ivory Coast Open,
Kalahari Diamond Classic The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for , covering much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African Namib coastal de ...
(for one year only, in 1982) and
Zimbabwe Open The Zimbabwe Open is a professional golf tournament held in Zimbabwe, currently played on the Sunshine Tour. History The tournament was first played in 1984 and from 1985 to 1992 was part of the Safari Circuit, a collection of events in Africa ...
were added. As a result, in 1986 the number of tournaments in Zambia was reduced to just one, the Zambia Open at Lusaka. With the PGA European Tour operating the circuit, tournament winners were rewarded with exemption on the main tour for that season. The leading money winners were also granted exemption on the tour, and until 1986 the Order of Merit winner was automatically qualified into
The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
. In the mid-1980s the circuit suffered as local economies struggled, with prize-money payments from Ivory Coast and Nigerian tournaments being reduced and delayed, culminating in the removal of the East African legs in 1987. As the European Tour schedule expanded further through the 1980s, the Safari Circuit became further squeezed, and the Nigerian and Ivory Coast opens were moved into December. In 1991 the five remaining tournaments were added to the new second-tier
Challenge Tour The Challenge Tour is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and, as with on the main European Tour and the European Senior Tour, some of the events are played outside Europe. History The ...
schedule, although for a few years the "Safari Circuit" was still regarded as distinct tour.


Tournaments

*Zambia ** Cock o' the North (founded 1954, last played 1985) **
Lusaka Open The Lusaka Open was a men's professional golf tournament played at Lusaka Golf Club in Zambia between 1969 and 1979. It was one of three Zambian events on the Safari Circuit schedule. The event pre-dated the Zambia Open The Zambia Open is a men ...
(founded 1969, last played 1979) **
Mufulira Open The Mufulira Open was a men's professional golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does ...
(founded 1970, last played 1984) **
Zambia Open The Zambia Open is a men's professional golf tournament played in Zambia, that has been part of the Sunshine Tour since 1996, and was co-sanctioned by the European-based Challenge Tour from 2001 to 2004. It was also an event on the Challenge Tour ...
(founded 1972) *Kenya **
Kenya Open The Kenya Open, titled as the Magical Kenya Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament in Kenya founded in 1967. History The Kenya Open was an associate event on the Far East Circuit in 1967 and 1968, after which it became a ...
(founded 1967) *Nigeria ** Nigerian Open (founded 1970) *Botswana **
Kalahari Diamond Classic The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for , covering much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African Namib coastal de ...
(1982 only) *Ivory Coast ** Ivory Coast Open (founded 1981) *Zimbabwe **
Zimbabwe Open The Zimbabwe Open is a professional golf tournament held in Zimbabwe, currently played on the Sunshine Tour. History The tournament was first played in 1984 and from 1985 to 1992 was part of the Safari Circuit, a collection of events in Africa ...
(founded 1985)


Order of Merit winners

:''This list is incomplete''


References

{{Men's Professional Golf Tours Professional golf tours Golf in Zambia Golf in Kenya Golf in Nigeria Golf in Ivory Coast Golf in Zimbabwe