SA Open Championship
Serengeti Golf Club, Ekurhuleni, South Africa
Nov 24-27, purse €1,000,200, par 72

The South African Open Championship is one of the oldest national open golf championships in the world, and is one of the principal tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. Since 1997 it has also been co-sanctioned by the, and as the flagship event on the Sunshine Tour, the tournament also receives special status from the Official World Golf Ranking, with the winner being guaranteed a minimum of 32 points regardless of the strength of the field.

South Africa's Hennie Otto stumbled but held on to win the SA Open Championship by a single shot from Bernd Wiesberger of Austria at the Serengeti Golf Club in Ekurhuleni. Otto led by three shots with just six holes left to play, but three bogeys in the space of four holes left him tied with the Austrian with two to go.

The South African steadied the ship at the short par-4 17th, holing a six-foot birdie putt to move one clear. He then completed a solid par on the final hole to win by the narrowest of margins. With the victory Otto climbed to 56th place from 80th on the Race to Dubai, thereby securing his place in the Dubai World Championship.

The first formal event was organised in 1903, following a series of exhibition matches that had been held over the preceding ten years. The championship was initially contested over just 36 holes until 1908, when it was extended to become a 72 hole tournament. Although non-whites had played in the South African Open before, most notably when Papwa Sewgolum finished second in 1963, it was not until 1972 that black golfers were allowed to compete

There wasn't such good news for Scots Steven O'Hara and Lloyd Saltman. O'Hara needed a top three finish to save his card but he dropped back into a tie for 25th with a poor last round. Saltman needed to par the final hole to finish in a tie for third, earn a start at Hong Kong next week and a real chance of avoiding a trip to Q school. But he closed with a heartbreaking double bogey and fell back into a tie for ninth.

2011 Results

1 Hennie Otto (RSA) 70 67 65 72 274 €158,500
2 Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 69 68 70 68 275 €115,000
T3 Thomas Aiken (RSA) 68 69 68 72 277 €53,200
T3 Richard McEvoy (Eng) 70 70 69 68 277 €53,200
T3 Ockie Strydom (RSA) 69 72 67 69 277 €53,200
T6 Magnus Carlsson (Swe) 73 66 66 73 278 €29,883
T6 Trevor Fisher (RSA) 66 72 70 68 278 €29,883
T6 Retief Goosen (RSA) 66 68 71 73 278 €29,883
T9 Jaco Ahlers (RSA) 74 67 65 73 279 €18,950
T9 Branden Grace (RSA) 69 68 74 68 279 €18,950
T9 Garth Mulroy (RSA) 67 68 70 74 279 €18,950
T9 Lloyd Saltman (Sco) 69 68 72 70 279 €18,950

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