way to Africa to boost their bank balance. Furyk was one of the few Americans to regularly support the Nedbank Challenge from 2000 onwards. He is one of just four USA champions, the others being Johnny Miller and Ray Floyd in the first two tournaments, and Corey Pavin in 1995. By contrast there have been 13 winners from Europe. In the last decade, after the tournament became part of the DP World Tour, the lack of Americans on the leaderboard has been noticeable. The last top 10 finish was by Robert Streb in 2015. And he has never been a name player. Brooks Koepka played in the 2014 Nedbank Challenge (T-16), yet at that stage was still playing the European Tour, and had just had his breakthrough victory at the Turkish Airlines Open. Homa will be joined at Sun City by a good friend of his, and another player new to the tournament, two-time major champion Justin Thomas, a former world No 1, who was a constant presence in the top 10 of the World Ranking from 2017 until earlier this year when his form dipped. JT is not just an exciting golfer to watch, but has character and charisma on the golf course. Homa’s reason for coming to South Africa is that he likes playing in new places and experiencing countries he’s never visited before. The Gary Player connection played a part. “Gary Player is a legend so to be able to play in a tournament with his name associated is an honour. He has done so much for golf worldwide, so it’s nice for me to give a little something back in South Africa,” he said.
9 OTHER PLAYOFFS 1981 Johnny Miller won the first Million Dollar and $500 000, in an unforgettable 9-hole playoff against Seve Ballesteros which concluded in semi-darkness. Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino were the other three participants. 1982 Ray Floyd beat fellow American Craig Stadler in a playoff which began at the 14th and ended at No 17. First prize was then $300 000 and the field had increased to 10. 1996 Colin Montgomerie, who had never previously won a playoff, and lost two of them at majors (1994 US Open and 1995 US PGA), had his revenge on Ernie Els, a birdie on 18 to clinch the third playoff hole. Els had won the 1994 US Open at Oakmont. 2000 Ernie Els had a long wait before his first Million Dollar title in 1999. His second title a year later came after an exciting finish where he birdied two of the last three holes to tie Lee Westwood. Els hit a 9-iron stiff at No 17, the second playoff hole to clinch the $2 million first prize, doubled from the previous year. Westwood went home with $300 000. 2001 and 2003 Sergio Garcia won both his titles in playoffs, over first Ernie Els and then Retief Goosen. Els was a four-time runner-up at Sun City, twice losing in playoffs. 2005 Jim Furyk won after four players had tied on a high winning score of six- under 282. The American chipped in for a birdie on the second playoff hole to defeat Goosen, Darren Clarke and Adam Scott. 2009 Robert Allenby became the first Australian champion following a 3-hole playoff, all on 18, against defending champion Henrik Stenson. 2019 Tommy Fleetwood won the biggest first prize in the history of the tournament, $2.5 million, against Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult. Fleetwood had three eagles in a closing round of 65, and won the playoff on the first extra hole when Kinhult bogeyed.
HOMA AND JT ADD THE AMERICAN STAR POWER
MAX HOMA’S DECISION TO PLAY in the Nedbank Challenge means he is the first top-ranked American to play at Sun City since Jim Furyk won back- to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. Homa is No 8 in the World Ranking and a six- time PGA Tour winner. A strong presence of crowd-pleasing star performers from the United States was a cornerstone of the first three decades of the Nedbank Challenge. The various tournament directors throughout that era would engage them at the major championships, pursuing their signatures, offering luxury trips to game reserves and other inducements. It wasn’t unusual to have as many as six Americans in a 12-man field. Up until 1999 they were also attracted by the lucrative prize fund, and $1 million first prize, but the launch of the $15-million World Golf Championship series that year, and then Tiger Woods’ World Challenge event in January 2000, meant they no longer had to travel all the
WE’VE MISSED AT SUN CITY
Max Homa.
Southern African champions (14) 2017 Branden Grace 2007 Trevor Immelman 2004 Retief Goosen
1993 Nick Price 1992 David Frost 1990 David Frost 1989 David Frost 1988 Fulton Allem 1986 Mark McNulty
2002 Ernie Els 2000 Ernie Els 1999 Ernie Els 1998 Nick Price 1997 Nick Price
Justin Thomas.
40 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 41
NOVEMBER 2023
NOVEMBER 2023
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