1976–77 Southern Africa Tour Explained

Year:1976–77
Tour:Southern Africa Tour
Regular Season:
No Of Events:6
Most Wins: Hugh Baiocchi (3)
Honor1:Order of Merit
Honoree1: Gary Player
Prevseason:1975–76
Nextseason:1977–78

The 1976–77 Southern Africa Tour was the sixth season of the Southern Africa Tour. Hugh Baiocchi and Gary Player had much success throughout the season. Player won two of the first three events and finished runner-up in the other, the Sportsman Lager PGA Championship. However, Baiocchi closed the season with three consecutive wins, including a defeat of Player at the ICL Transvaal International.

Season outline

Gary Player had much success at the beginning of the season. He won the inaugural event, the Dunlop South African Masters, by four over joint runner-up Hugh Baiocchi.[1] At the Sportsman Lager PGA Championship, the second event of the season, Player finished one shot behind champion Dale Hayes while Baiocchi finished joint third.[2] Player went on to win the subsequent event, the Yellow Pages South African Open. This was his 10th victory of his national open beating the previous record set by Bobby Locke.[3] However, it was Baiocchi who had the most success at the end of the season. He won the final three events, including a defeat of Player at the ICL Transvaal International.[4]

Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 1976–77 season.[5] [6]

DateTournamentLocationPurse
(R)
WinnerNotes
6 Nov Transvaal 25,000 Gary Player (11)
20 Nov Transvaal 50,000 Dale Hayes (12)
27 Nov Natal 35,000 Gary Player (12)
4 Dec Swaziland 20,000 Hugh Baiocchi (4)
11 Dec Transvaal 25,000 Hugh Baiocchi (5)
19 Dec Rhodesia 15,000 Hugh Baiocchi (6)

Order of Merit

The Order of Merit was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in South African rand.[6]

PositionPlayerPrize money (R)
1 19,363
2 18,938
3 15,470
4 9,938
5 8,922

Notes and References

  1. News: Golf . 11 September 2023 . The Sydney Morning Herald . Sydney, New South Wales, Australia . 8 November 1976 . 10 (18 in paper) . Google News Archive.
  2. News: Hayes pips Player . 2023-09-11 . Newspapers.com . The Sunday People . London, United Kingdom . 21 November 1976 . 37 . subscription.
  3. News: Gary wins record 10th Open . 11 September 2023 . The Age . Melbourne, Victoria, Australia . 29 November 1976 . 14 (24 in paper) . Google News Archive.
  4. Web site: 1976 ICL Transvaal International . 2023-09-11 . Sunshine Tour.
  5. Web site: 1976/77 Tournament schedule . Sunshine Tour . 10 September 2023.
  6. Book: Simms, George . World of Golf 1977 . Macdonald and Jane's . 1977 . 0354090011 . 145–148.