Former winners James Kingston and Hennie Otto will join defending champion Henrik Stenson and two-time champion Retief Goosen in the 103rd edition of the South African Open Championship, which will be held at Glendower Golf Club from November 21-24.
Kingston realised his dream of winning his national Open when he claimed his debut European Tour title at the 2007 SA Open.
After 19 long and frustrating years of trying of often coming so close and people questioning his mental toughness, Kingston proved the doubters wrong at the ripe age of 42.
“You can’t put a price on what this means to me,” Kingston said after sinking the winning putt.
“This is the greatest day of my career. I’m doubly emotional right now, because to win this – my own national Open against a world-class field and to follow in the footsteps of a man like Gary Player – is massive.”
Otto, too, was extremely emotional after winning the 101st edition of the tournament in dramatic fashion.
Two years ago, the Ekurhuleni native appeared to be cruising to victory with a three-shot lead and six holes to play, but bogeyed three of the next four holes to drop back to 13 under par, level with the clubhouse leader Bernd Wiesberger of Austria.
Needing to finish par-par to force a play-off, the man they call the “Boksburg Bomber” reached for his driver at the par four 17th hole, and struck it so well that his ball ran through the green. Having chipped to four feet, Otto duly rolled in the birdie putt to establish a one-shot lead which he clung onto with a par at the last hole.
“To win the SA Open, your own national Open, was very special,” said Otto. “You just have to look at the names on the trophy – Els, Goosen, Player, Locke – to know you’re in esteemed company.”
Kingston and Otto will be in esteemed company for the 103rd edition of the South African Open, played on a course which has hosted the tournament on three previous occasions, with American Fred Wadsworth, South Africa’s own Clinton Whitelaw and Major Champion Vijay Singh being the respective winners.
This year’s field includes not only the 2012 champion Stenson, probably the hottest player in world golf, but also two-time US Open Champion Goosen, two-time Alfred Dunhill Championship winner Pablo Martin and no fewer than 29 other Sunshine Tour winners.
