1975–76 Southern Africa Tour
Golf tour season
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The 1975–76 Southern Africa Tour was the fifth season of the Southern Africa Tour, the main professional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.
Dale Hayes (3) Allan Henning (3) Allan Henning| Duration | 26 November 1975 – 15 February 1976 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 9[a] |
| Most wins | Dale Hayes (3) Allan Henning (3) |
| Order of Merit | Allan Henning |
← 1974–75 1976–77 → | |
Season outline
The season was dominated by Dale Hayes and Allan Henning who won the majority of the events. Hayes started the season well, winning the first two events. However, Henning won the Datsun International and the NCR Western Province Open to close in on the Order of Merit race. Hayes won the flagship event, the BP South African Open, but Henning won the season's final event; the Rhodesian Dunlop Masters, to capture the Order of Merit honors.
The first tournament of the season was the Beck's PGA Championship at Wanderers Golf Club. Hayes shot a 62 (−8) in the third round which placed him in good position in the tournament.[1] He described it as his best round ever.[2] The round broke the course recorded by three shots. Hayes followed it up with a three-under-par 67 to defeat Henning, the solo runner-up, by six shots.[1] Hayes won the following event, the Holiday Inns Open, as well, defeating John Fourie in a playoff.[3]
Henning won the fourth official tournament of the season, the Datsun International, while Hayes finished runner-up.[4] The next week, at the ICL International, Hayes and Henning finished joint runner-up, one behind England's Peter Townsend.[5] Henning then won the next event, the NCR Western Province Open.[6] In late January, Hayes tied John Fourie at the end of regulation play at the BP South African Open.[7] Like earlier in the season, Hayes again defeated Fourie in a playoff.[8] Henning, however, won the final event of the year, the Rhodesian Dunlop Masters.[9] This assured that he secured the Order of Merit by a small margin over Hayes.[10]
Schedule
The following table lists official events during the 1975–76 season.[11][10]
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) |
Winner[b] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Nov | Beck's PGA Championship | Transvaal | 35,000 | Dale Hayes (9) | |
| 6 Dec | Holiday Inns Open | Swaziland | 20,000 | Dale Hayes (10) | |
| 13 Dec | General Motors International Classic | Cape | 20,000 | Gary Player (9) | |
| 10 Jan | Datsun International | Transvaal | 20,000 | Allan Henning (3) | |
| Natal Open | Natal | – | Cancelled | ||
| 17 Jan | ICL International | Transvaal | 20,000 |  Peter Townsend (1) | |
| 24 Jan | NCR Western Province Open | Cape | 15,000 | Allan Henning (4) | |
| 31 Jan | BP South African Open | Transvaal | 20,000 | Dale Hayes (11) | |
| 7 Feb | Dunlop South African Masters | Transvaal | 18,000 | Gary Player (10) | |
| 15 Feb | Rhodesian Dunlop Masters | Rhodesia | 15,000 | Allan Henning (5) |
Unofficial events
The following events were sanctioned by the Southern Africa Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) |
Winners | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jan | Datsun International | Transvaal | n/a | Team South Africa |
Team event |
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in South African rand.[10]
| Position | Player | Prize money (R) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allan Henning | 18,275 |
| 2 | Dale Hayes | 17,630 |
| 3 | John Fourie | 12,001 |
| 4 | Cobie Legrange | 10,413 |
| 5 | Hugh Baiocchi | 9,880 |