Famous Golfers from South Africa: A Legacy of Champions

South Africa, a land of 50 million souls with an outstanding sporting pedigree, has made an indelible impression on the game of golf worldwide. While cricket and rugby are the games of the masses, the golfers of South Africa have achieved remarkable success on the global stage. This article celebrates the most famous golfers from South Africa, highlighting their major championship wins, exceptional tour performances, and significant contributions to the sport.

An eight-some of major championship winners share a single, and special, trait: Gary Player, Bobby Locke, Nick Price, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Sally Little, and Louis Oosthuizen are all South Africans.

The Golden Eight: Major Championship Winners

South Africa boasts an impressive roster of major championship winners who have left an indelible mark on the world of golf.

• Bobby Locke: Winner of four British Open championships.
• Gary Player: One of the game's all-time greats with nine major championships.
• Ernie Els: Known as "The Big Easy" for his smooth swing, Els has four major titles.
• Retief Goosen: Boasting two US Open titles.
• Trevor Immelman: Winner of the 2008 Masters Tournament.
• Nick Price: Raised in neighboring Zimbabwe, but born in Durban, Price has three major championships.
• Sally Little: An LPGA major championship winner.
• Louis Oosthuizen: Winner of the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews.

"Isn't it remarkable to think that South Africa has won more major championships post war than any country on the planet except America," says Player. "It's a big feather in our cap, isn't it?"

Historical Popularity Index of South African Golfers

Pantheon has compiled a list of the most legendary South African golfers of all time, sorted by the Historical Popularity Index (HPI). The HPI aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.

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Here's a breakdown of some of the most famous South African golfers and their achievements:

Gary Player (b. 1935)

With an HPI of 55.78, Gary Player is the most famous South African Golfer. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and nine major championships on the Champions Tour. Open and became the first non-American to win all four majors in a career, known as the career Grand Slam.

He practiced without limits, and became golf's first fitness freak. By his own count he won 164 tournaments on every continent except Antarctica, and by anyone's count, nine of those were major championships.

Nick Price (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 44.59, Nick Price is the 2nd most famous South African Golfer. Nicholas Raymond Leige Price (born 28 January 1957) is a Zimbabwean former professional golfer who has won three major championships in his career: the PGA Championship twice (in 1992 and 1994) and The Open Championship in 1994. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Ernie Els (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 43.23, Ernie Els is the 4th most famous South African Golfer. A former World No. 1, he is nicknamed "The Big Easy" due to his physical stature along with his fluid golf swing. Open in 1994 at Oakmont and in 1997 at Congressional, and The Open Championship in 2002 at Muirfield and in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

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Retief Goosen (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 36.21, Retief Goosen is the 5th most famous South African Golfer. Opens, in 2001 and 2004, headed the European Tour Order of Merit in 2001 and 2002, and was in the top ten of the world rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, class of 2019.

Louis Oosthuizen (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 31.29, Louis Oosthuizen is the 6th most famous South African Golfer. Lodewicus Theodorus "Louis" Oosthuizen (Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˈlu.i ˈuəstɦœyzən]; born 19 October 1982) is a South African professional golfer who won the 2010 Open Championship. Open, the 2015 Open Championship, and the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2021.

And what an impression Oosthuizen made the third week of July, winning the British Open at St Andrews with one of the finest performances in championship golf history. Oosthuizen won by seven shots, crushing the field with pinpoint driving, knowing iron-play and superb putting, an exhibition nothing short of world class and one that continues the world-class legacy of the South African golf.

Charl Schwartzel (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 31.20, Charl Schwartzel is the 7th most famous South African Golfer. He has won one major title, the Masters in 2011. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number six, after finishing in a tie for fourth at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in 2012.

Trevor Immelman (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 30.46, Trevor Immelman is the 8th most famous South African Golfer. He won his sole major championship at the 2008 Masters Tournament.

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The Seeds of Success: Factors Contributing to South African Golfing Excellence

But just how is it that South Africa has managed to produce not merely competitive, or successful professional players, but those of such excellent championship pedigree?

Several factors contribute to the success of South African golfers:

• Weather: The ideal weather allows for year-round play.
• Sporting Culture: South Africa is a sporting nation with a strong competitive spirit.
• Junior Golf Programs: Accessible and affordable junior golf programs foster young talent.
• Quality Courses: South Africa boasts numerous courses of very high standard.
• Professional Tour: The Sunshine Tour of Southern Africa provides a starting point for young players.

"We are a sporting nation, just like the United States," says Els. "Seems like everyone plays a sport, cricket, rugby, soccer, tennis, golf. We are quite athletic as a nation and quite competitive. You know, you look about age 13 or 14 how you are as say a rugby player. If you don't think you can be the best, then you might look at golf, which is what I did."

Fostering that competitive spirit is a private club system that embraces junior players and allows them access to their courses for a pittance, and junior golf programs throughout the nation which sponsor players and conduct tournaments. "The golf foundations are really good about promoting junior golf and it doesn't a cost a fortune for a junior player to play tournaments," says Rory Sabbatini.

The Sunshine Tour of Southern Africa

Now add a very good professional tour to the mix. The Sunshine Tour of Southern Africa has long been an excellent starting point not only for young Southern African players, but Europeans looking for a place to play in tolerable weather in the winter months. A player can qualify for the European Tour straight off the top of the Sunshine Tour's Order of Merit, and can also get into World Championship Golf events.

So there you have seminal blend of golfing elements-weather, accessible courses of great quality, junior golf programs, a highly regarded professional tour and a sporting gene in the blood of the country. "We have it all," says Nick Price.

The Legacy of Inspiration

But championship golf needs inspiration, and South Africa has been blessed with that as well, starting with the good general Torrens. Ever hear of Sid Brews?

Long before there was the iconic Gary Player, Sidney Brews-born in England but raised and nurtured in South Africa-became the country's most prominent player in the 1920s and 30s. Then came South Africa's first major championship winner, and a man who would influence the game itself. Arthur D'Arcy "Bobby" Locke was one heckuva player who uttered one of golf's most tried and true adages: "You drive for show, but you putt for dough."

From the time he was a teenager, Gary Player knew what he wanted to be, and, not lacking in confidence, said he would become the best player in the world. Having done this at the beginning of the television age and in the company of the great Palmer and Nicklaus, Player's accomplishments reverberated across South Africa and launched a generation of major championship winners and highly competitive professionals.

Clark and Sabbatini took a route to the PGA Tour that doesn't exist in South Africa, the one aspect of the game in which the country comes up lacking. "The one thing we don't have in South Africa is that there is no next step from the junior golf programs," says Clark. "There is nothing like the college golf in the United States. You either turn pro and try to make a living, or you don't and try to do something else.

South Africa has several other players entering their prime who could have big impacts on international tours in the years ahead. Then there is Thomas Aiken, an-up-and coming 26-year-old.

Aiken didn't take the American college route. His father said he needed to make the choice between being a student or being a professional golfer, so Aiken took the pro route. "My father said 'Are you going to go to college or are you going to play golf?' " says Aiken. So I turned pro at 18, and it's a been a journey that's been difficult at times."

But part of that journey started long ago when he met Gary Player on a beach at Plettenbeurg Bay. He was five years old and not yet of an age where he was dreaming of being a golf champion. "I do remember what a kind and generous man he was," says Aiken. "That he was a great champion golfer wouldn't have been so important then. But it would be as I took up the game and began to love it. I have always admired Gary Player, always wanted to be like him."

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