The voice of golf was finally lost for words at the 99th South African Open Championship this week.
Renowned television commentator, Denis Hutchinson, this week celebrated the 50th anniversary of his South African Open triumph in 1959, which made him the last amateur to win the title.
And to mark this occasion, his fellow golf media honoured him with a press conference, a glass of champagne and lifetime golf membership to Pearl Valley Golf Estates.
Hutchinson, then 27, beat nine time Major winner Gary Player by a stroke at Royal Johannesburg in 1959.
A visibly emotional Hutchinson said it was all a very long time ago, but "I am lucky that I am still in the game I love."
Hutchinson, the winner of 20 professional titles, including the French Open and four South African Masters, played in 35 SA Opens in a row from 1959 and hasn´t missed a tournament since his thrilling victory, serving as a commentator since 1982.
 |
Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate will host the South African Open Championship in 2011 and 2012. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Serengeti is the first 27-hole golf course in Gauteng and was recently named “Best New Golf Course” by Golf Digest.
The 18-hole course called Masai Mara, which means “wide open plains” in the language of the Masai, has a rugged grassland and dune-scape look. One of the unique features on the course is the par-five eighth hole with its island green. The nine-hole course called Whistling Thorn has a more classic feel.
The courses were constructed in accordance with USGA specifications, with cool season grass that provides green vistas all year round. Designed as a strategic and technical masterpiece that will test today’s best players, the sunken design of the course with its wide corridors is ideal for tournament purposes and provides optimal spectator value on almost every hole.
