Three-time major champion Ernie Els claimed his fifth South African Open title at Durban Country Club in December 2010.
In a fitting final round for the 100th playing of the country’s flagship event, Els went toe-to-toe with compatriot Retief Goosen. Goosen rallied with four birdies in his last five holes, but the charge proved too late for the championship winner from 1995 and 2005. He finished one shot shy of Els' winning total of 25-under-par 265. Els also won the SA Open in 1992, 1996, 1998 and 2006.
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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.
