The 1972–73 Southern Africa Tour was the second season of the Southern Africa Tour, the main professional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.

Season outline

The first event of the season was the Luyt Lager PGA Championship in November 1972. In the third round, Harold Henning "romped to a five stroke lead." In the final round,

Hugh Baiocchi Hugh John Baiocchi (born 17 August 1946) is a South African professional golfer who has won more than 20 professional tournaments around the world. Early life Baiocchi was born in Johannesburg. Professional career In 1971, Baiocchi turned ...

shot a five-under-par 65 to get into contention. However, Henning managed to secure a one shot win.

Gary Player Gary James Player (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and nine ...

recorded a third-place result. However, Player came back and won the following week at the Dunlop South African Masters with a 268 total, defeating Henning by one shot. It was his third straight win at the event. In addition, at the Dunlop South African Masters, Bobby Cole recorded a joint third place finish. This precipitated much success for Cole over the next month. On 9 December, he won the Natal Open. He followed it up with a second consecutive win, this time at the Rhodesian Dunlop Masters. The following week, he finished runner-up at the Ellerines Team Championship (an unofficial money event), with team-mate

Dale Hayes Dale Hayes (born 1 July 1952) is a South African professional golfer. Amateur career Hayes won the 15–17 Boys category at the Junior World Golf Championships in 1969. Professional career In 1970, Hayes turned professional. On December 6, 19 ...

. A number of golfers had success after the Christmas break.

had continued success, winning the first tournament after break, the Holiday Inns Open in Swaziland.

won the subsequent event, the NCR Western Province Open. England's

Peter Oosterhuis Peter Arthur Oosterhuis (3 May 1948 – 2 May 2024) was an English professional golfer and broadcaster. He played on the European circuit from 1969 to 1974, winning 10 tournaments and taking the Harry Vardon Trophy for heading the Order of Merit ...

was in contention to win the following event; the ICL Transvaal Open. He shot a third round 68 (−3) to take the 54-hole lead. However, John Fourie was victorious. At the following week's Rothmans International Matchplay, Oosterhuis responded with a victory, defeating

6 and 5. Fourie, meanwhile, won his second consecutive tournament, winning the concurrently played Rothmans International Strokeplay. The Order of Merit title was between Hayes and Baiocchi. At the 11th tournament; the General Motors International Classic, Baiocchi and Hayes were tied at 282. Baiocchi defeated Hayes in a sudden-death playoff. The following week, Hayes responded with a victory at the Corlett Drive Classic, shooting a course record 65 in the final round. At the final tournament of the season, Hayes won for the second consecutive week at the Schoeman Park Open. The back-to-back wins helped him secure the Order of Merit over Fourie and Baiocchi by a small margin.

Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 1972–73 season.

Unofficial events

The following events were sanctioned by the Southern Africa Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.

Order of Merit

The

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1972-73 Southern Africa Tour Sunshine Tour seasons Southern Africa Tour Southern Africa Tour Southern Africa Tour Southern Africa Tour