SUNDAY JANUARY 10, 2016 - The BMW SA OPEN HOSTED BY CITY OF EKURHULENI
BRANDON STONE
• His first European Tour International Schedule victory in his 27th European Tour event.
• Moves to 175,267 points in The Race to Dubai.
• Could move into the top 120 of the Official World Golf Ranking, from 249th.
• This victory beats his previous best European Tour finish of tied seventh in the 2015 Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI.
• This victory beats his previous best 2016 season European Tour performance of tied 18th in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
• The third first-time winner of the 2016 European Tour season. They are Nathan Holman (Australian PGA Championship), Marc Leishman (Nedbank Golf Challenge) and Brandon Stone (BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni).
• The three first-time winners have come in consecutive tournaments. This represents the first time on The European Tour since 2012 there have been three debut winners in a row. They were: Webb Simpson (U.S. Open Championship), Danny Willett (BMW International Open) and Jamie Donaldson (Irish Open).
• Graduated from the 2015 European Challenge Tour Rankings. Is the first Challenge Tour graduate to win on The European Tour the season after graduation since Byeong Hun An (2015 BMW PGA Championship).
• Victory comes in his fourth appearance in the BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni.
• This victory beats his previous best performance in his home Open of tied 39th as an amateur in 2011 (Nov 11), where he was leading amateur.
• Aged 22 years and 265 days becomes the youngest winner of the event since it became co-sanctioned with The European Tour in 1997.
• Beats the previous youngest record since 1997 of Trevor Immelman, who was 23 years and 27 days in 2003.
OTHER FACTS
• Becomes the 13th South African victory in the event since the tournament became co-sanctioned in 1997.
• Since 1997 joins Ernie Els (1998, 07, 11 (Dec 10), Tim Clark (2002, 05), Trevor Immelman (2003-04), Retief Goosen (2006), James Kingston (2008), Richard Sterne (2009) and Hennie Otto (2011 (Nov 11), as South African players to win the BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni.
• Becomes the second South African win of the 2016 season. They are: Charl Schwartzel (Alfred Dunhill Championship) and Brandon Stone (BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni).
• Becomes the 133rd South African victory in European Tour history.
• Become the 35th different South African to win in European Tour history.
• Becomes the first South African Challenge Tour graduate to win on The European Tour the year after graduation.
• Becomes the 28th different Challenge Tour graduate to win on The European Tour the year after graduation since this feat first happened in 1995.
• Becomes the 30th European Tour victory overall by a Challenge Tour graduate the year after graduation.
In his rookie season on The European Tour. Becomes the second rookie to win this season, following Nathan Holman (Australian PGA Championship).
Becomes the 48th rookie to win in European Tour history.
• The third youngest South African debut winner since The European Tour’s first season in 1972, following Charl Schwartzel (20 years and 103 days – 2005 Alfred Dunhill Championship) and Anton Haig (20 years and 300 days – 2007 Johnnie Walker Classic).
• Gains his biggest European Tour prize of €158,500.
• Gains a European Tour exemption until the end of 2017 season.
• His second victory as a professional.
• Becomes the first former Challenge Tour player to win on The European Tour in the 2016 season.
• Becomes the 374th European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player.
• Becomes the 145th different former Challenge Tour player to win on The European Tour.
