DID YOU KNOW? - VOLVO GOLF CHAMPIONS
• There are 26 winners from The European Tour International Schedule in 2012 and from the first two events of the 2013 campaign competing. Between them they compiled 32 victories of the 47 available.
• Durban Country Club has staged the South African Open Championship 17 times, the last of which was in the 2011 season (Dec 2010) and won by Ernie Els. That year Retief Goosen was second and Louis Oosthuizen was third. All three are here again this week.
• Defending champion, Branden Grace is bidding to become the fifth different South African to successfully defend a European Tour title. He would follow: Ernie, Trevor Immelman, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen.
• Durban County Club has been used for European Tour competition five times previous. The events were the 1996 FNB Players Championship, 1998, 2002, 2005 and 2011 (Dec 2010) South African Open Championship. On each occasion a South African prevailed. They were: Wayne Westner (1996 FNB Players Championship), Ernie Els (1998 and 2011 (Dec 10) and Tim Clark (2002 and 2005).
• In 2011, the first year of the Volvo Golf Champions, the tournament became the ninth different Volvo European Tour sponsored event; more than any other sponsor.
• The Volvo Golf Champions will begin the 27th consecutive year of Volvo sponsorship on The European Tour. This dates back to the Volvo Belgian Open in 1987 at Royal Waterloo and won by Eamonn Darcy.
