DID YOU KNOW - NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE
• The Nedbank Golf Challenge became part of The European Tour International Schedule for the first time for the 2014 season. (The event was first played in 1981 and won by Johnny Miller). At the beginning of the 2014 season, the event was the 11th different European Tour event to be staged in South Africa. This will be the 35th hosting of the event.
• Danny Willett will looking to make a successful defence of the crown he won 12 months ago. Should he achieve the feat he would join Seve Ballesteros (1983-1984), David Frost (1989-1990), Nick Price (1997-1998), Ernie Els (1998-1999), Jim Furyk (2005-2006) and Lee Westwood (2010-2011), as players to win in back-to-back years. In all eight players have recorded multiple victories in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
• Danny Willett will try and make a first successful defence of his career. The last Englishman to win the same European Tour event in back-to-back years was Luke Donald (2011-12 BMW PGA Championship).
• Three players have won the event on three occasions. They are: David Frost, Nick Price and Ernie Els. The South African holds the tournament scoring record with 263 (-25) back in 1999.
• There have been 13 different Major Champions who have their names etched on the roll of honour.
• Four winners of the Nedbank Golf Challenge are competing this year. They are Martin Kaymer (2012), Lee Westwood (2010-201), Henrik Stenson (2008) and Danny Willett. (2015 season).
• The Gary Player Country Club is the third longest course in European Tour history, at 7,831 yards. In second, 18 yards longer than Sun City is the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, venue for the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship, between 2009-2011. The longest is another South African course, the Copperleaf Golf & Country Estate, where the 2014 Tshwane Open was played, measuring 7,964 yards.
• The Sun City venue also played host to European Tour competition prior to the Nedbank Golf Challenge. In 1996-1997 the Dimension Data Pro-Am took place and won by Mark McNulty (1996) and Nick Price (1997).
