Nedbank Golf Challenge

Nedbank Golf Challenge

Tournament information
Location	Sun City, South Africa
Established	1981
Course(s)	Gary Player CC
Par	72
Length	7,831 yards (7,161 m)
Tour(s)	European Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$7,500,000
Month played	November
Tournament record score
Aggregate	263 Ernie Els (1999)
To par	−25 Ernie Els (1999)
Current champion
Alexander Norén

Gary Player
C.C.

Location in South Africa

The Nedbank Golf Challenge, previously known as the Million Dollar Challenge, is an annual men's professional golf tournament played at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, North West province, South Africa. It was first played in 1981 and takes place towards the end of the year, in November or December.

For many years the tournament was a small-field invitational stroke play event with typically 12 players competing. Since it became a European Tour event in 2013, the field size has increased, to 30 from 2013 to 2015 and to 72 in 2016. Originally it was not an official event for any of the major tours.

From 2010 to 2012, a separate tournament for senior golfers was held concurrently.

History

The first tournament was played from 31 December 1981 to 4 January 1982 with a field of 5: Seve Ballesteros, Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Lee Trevino. Ballesteros and Miller tied on 277 with Nicklaus a stroke behind after he missed a putt at the final hole. Miller beat Ballesteros at the ninth hole of a sudden-death playoff. The pair played the 16th to 18th holes three times before Ballesteros three-putted. Miller won $500,000 out of total prize money of $1,000,000.^[1]

The date was moved to early December 1982 for the second tournament, with 10 players competing. Total prize money remained at $1,000,000 with $300,000 for the winner and $50,000 for the 10th player. There was another playoff, with Raymond Floyd beating Craig Stadler at the fourth extra hole.^[2] The format remained unchanged from 1983 to 1986 with the event played in early December each year.

The 1987 event introduced a winner-take-all $1,000,000 first prize, although there were additional prizes for the lowest round each day. The field was reduced to 8 player. Ian Woosnam won by 4 strokes and took the first million dollar prize in golf.^[3] The winner-take-all idea was dropped for 1988, although the first prize remained as $1,000,000. The format remained largely unchanged through 1999, with the first prize always $1,000,000, although the field increased from 8 to 10 in 1989 and to 12 from 1993. There were two playoffs during this period. In 1996 Colin Montgomerie beat Ernie Els with a birdie at the third extra hole, while in 1998 Nick Price beat Tiger Woods with a birdie at the fifth extra hole.

In 2006, the tournament carried World Rankings points for the first time since 1999.^[4] In 2013 it was expanded to 30 players: the defending tournament champion; the top 10 PGA Tour FedEx Cup players, the top 10 European Tour Race to Dubai players; the Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winners; the Alfred Dunhill Championship winner; and the top 5 South African players in the World Rankings.

From 2000 to 2002 the first prize was increased to US$2 million, but the following year the winner's share of the total prize fund was reduced from more than half to around 30%. The standard winner's share on the PGA Tour is 18% and on the European Tour it is 16.67%. In 2006 the winner received $1.2 million out of a total purse of US$4.385 million, so the prize distribution is now not far from the normal pattern for a professional tournament, once allowance is made for the small size of the field. That US$2 million first prize remains the largest in professional golf, but was matched in 2011 by the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters. The 2016 event will be part of the European Tour Final Series, replacing the BMW Masters. Beginning in 2016, the field of 72 will consist mostly of the top (64) available players from the current year Race to Dubai standings. The remainder of the field will consist of the defending champion, prior years winner of the Sunshine Tour order of merit, and tournament invitations.

Winners

European Tour event

Year	Winner	Country	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner-up	Winner's share (US$)
2017							1,166,660
2016	Alexander Norén	Sweden	274	−14	6 strokes	Wang Jeung-hun	1,166,660

Sunshine and European Tour event (2013–2015)

Year	Winner	Country	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share (US$)
2015	Marc Leishman	Australia	269	−19	6 strokes	Henrik Stenson	1,250,000
2014	Danny Willett	England	270	−18	4 strokes	Ross Fisher	1,250,000
2013	Thomas Bjørn	Denmark	268	−20	2 strokes	Jamie Donaldson Sergio García	1,250,000

Sunshine Tour event (2006–2012)

Year	Winner	Country	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner-up	Winner's share (US$)
2012	Martin Kaymer	Germany	280	−8	2 strokes	Charl Schwartzel	1,250,000
2011	Lee Westwood (2)	England	273	−15	2 strokes	Robert Karlsson	1,250,000
2010	Lee Westwood	England	271	−17	8 strokes	Tim Clark	1,250,000
2009	Robert Allenby	Australia	277	−11	Playoff	Henrik Stenson	1,200,000
2008	Henrik Stenson	Sweden	267	−21	9 strokes	Kenny Perry	1,200,000
2007	Trevor Immelman	South Africa	272	−16	1 stroke	Justin Rose	1,200,000
2006	Jim Furyk (2)	United States	276	−12	2 strokes	Henrik Stenson	1,200,000

Unofficial money event (1981–2005)

Year	Winner	Country	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share (US$)
Nedbank Golf Challenge
2005	Jim Furyk	United States	282	−6	Playoff	Darren Clarke Retief Goosen Adam Scott	1,200,000
2004	Retief Goosen	South Africa	281	−7	6 strokes	Stuart Appleby Ernie Els	1,200,000
2003	Sergio García (2)	Spain	274	−14	Playoff	Retief Goosen	1,200,000
2002	Ernie Els (3)	South Africa	267	−21	8 strokes	Colin Montgomerie	2,000,000
2001	Sergio García	Spain	268	−20	Playoff	Ernie Els	2,000,000
2000	Ernie Els (2)	South Africa	268	−20	Playoff	Lee Westwood	2,000,000
Million Dollar Challenge
1999	Ernie Els	South Africa	263	−25	5 strokes	Colin Montgomerie	1,000,000
1998	Nick Price (3)	Zimbabwe	273	−15	Playoff	Tiger Woods	1,000,000
1997	Nick Price (2)	Zimbabwe	275	−13	3 strokes	Ernie Els Davis Love III	1,000,000
1996	Colin Montgomerie	Scotland	274	−14	Playoff	Ernie Els	1,000,000
1995	Corey Pavin	United States	276	−12	5 strokes	Nick Price	1,000,000
1994	Nick Faldo	England	272	−16	3 strokes	Nick Price	1,000,000
1993	Nick Price	Zimbabwe	264	−24	12 strokes	Mark McNulty	1,000,000
1992	David Frost (3)	South Africa	276	−12	4 strokes	John Cook	1,000,000
1991	Bernhard Langer (2)	Germany	272	−16	5 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia	1,000,000
1990	David Frost (2)	South Africa	284	−4	1 stroke	José María Olazábal	1,000,000
1989	David Frost	South Africa	276	−12	3 strokes	Scott Hoch	1,000,000
1988	Fulton Allem	South Africa	278	−10	1 stroke	Don Pooley	1,000,000
1987	Ian Woosnam	Wales	274	−14	4 strokes	Nick Faldo	1,000,000
1986	Mark McNulty	Zimbabwe	282	−6	3 strokes	Lanny Wadkins	300,000
1985	Bernhard Langer	West Germany	278	−10	2 strokes	Lanny Wadkins	300,000
1984	Seve Ballesteros (2)	Spain	279	−9	6 strokes	Nick Faldo	300,000
1983	Seve Ballesteros	Spain	274	−14	5 strokes	Nick Faldo David Graham Fuzzy Zoeller	300,000
1982	Raymond Floyd	United States	280	−8	Playoff	Craig Stadler	300,000
1981	Johnny Miller	United States	277	−11	Playoff	Seve Ballesteros	500,000

The 1981 event was played from 31 December 1981 to 3 January 1982.

As of 2009, the leading money winner in the event is Ernie Els with winnings of $7,971,000.^[5]

References

External links

• Official site
• Coverage on the European Tour's official site

Coordinates: 25°20′20″S 27°06′22″E / 25.339°S 27.106°E / -25.339; 27.106