Nedbank Golf Challenge Winners and History

Nedbank Golf Challenge Winners and History

Originally known as the Million Dollar Challenge, the Nedbank Golf Challenge is a limited field event played in South Africa since 1981. In 2016, the Nedbank Golf Challenge replaces the BMW Masters as part of the European Tour Final Series with a 72 player field. The top 64 available players from the Race To Dubai standings comprise most of the field. The remainder is made up of the defending champion, prior years winner of the Sunshine Tour order of merit, and tournament invitations.

Throughout most of the tournament’s history it was one of the “silly season” tournaments, wedged between the end of one professional golf season and the beginning of the next. In 2013, however, the Nedbank Golf Challenge became an official tournament for both South Africa’s Sunshine Tour, and for the European Tour. The event has counted toward the World Rankings points since 1999.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge has been held at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City since its inception. The course is par 72, and measures 7.831 yards.

(I love watching South African golf on television. The courses look so amazing, and so different from what I play here in Michigan. Put South Africa on my golf bucket list)

For the first twenty two years of the tournament’s history, it had a field of 12 players, which included the defending champion, the Sunshine Tour money winner, any of the four major winners and filled out with the top available players in the Official World Golf Rankings. In 2013, the field expanded to thirty players: the defending champion,  the top ten Race to Dubai players,  the top ten PGA Tour FedEx Cup players, top playes on the Sunshine Tour, Japan Golf Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, the Alfred Dunhill Championship winner and the top five South African players in the World Golf Rankings.

What has made the tournament stand out over the years is the money. From 2000 to 2002, first prize was more than half the purse. At some $2 million that reportedly made it the largest winner’s take in professional golf. In 2003, the winner’s share was reduced to thirty percent. For comparison, the standard on the PGA Tour is 18%. The percentage has since been further reduced so that it is in line with other tournaments.

A complete list of Nedbank Golf Challenge Winners follows.

Year	Player	Country	Score
2023	Max Homa	US	269 (-19)
2022	Tommy Fleetwood (2)	England	277 (-11)
2021	COVID
2020	COVID
2019	Tommy Fleetwood	England	276 (-12)
2018	Lee Westwood (3)	England	273 (-15)
2017	Branden Grace	South Africa	277 (-11)
2016	Alexander Noren	Sweden	274 (-14)
2015	Mark Leishman	Australia	269 (-19)
2014	Danny Willett	England	270 (-18)
2013	Thomas Bjørn	Denmark	268 (−20)
2012	Martin Kaymer	Germany	280 (−8)
2011	Lee Westwood (2)	England	273 (−15)
2010	Lee Westwood	England	271 (−17)
2009	Robert Allenby	Australia	277 (−11)PO
2008	Henrik Stenson	Sweden	267 (−21)
2007	Trevor Immelman	South Africa	272 (−16)
2006	Jim Furyk (2)	United States	276 (−12)
2005	Jim Furyk	United States	282 (−6)PO
2004	Retief Goosen	South Africa	281 (−7)
2003	Sergio García (2)	Spain	274 (−14)PO
2002	Ernie Els (3)	South Africa	267 (−21)
2001	Sergio García	Spain	268 (−20)PO
2000	Ernie Els (2)	South Africa	268 (−20)PO
1999	Ernie Els	South Africa	263 (−25)
1998	Nick Price (3)	Zimbabwe	273 (−15)PO
1997	Nick Price (2)	Zimbabwe	275 (−13)
1996	Colin Montgomerie	Scotland	274 (−14)PO
1995	Corey Pavin	United States	276 (−12)
1994	Nick Faldo	England	272 (−16)
1993	Nick Price	Zimbabwe	264 (−24)
1992	David Frost (3)	South Africa	276 (−12)
1991	Bernhard Langer (2)	Germany	272 (−16)
1990	David Frost (2)	South Africa	284 (−4)
1989	David Frost	South Africa	276 (−12)
1988	Fulton Allem	South Africa	278 (−10)
1987	Ian Woosnam	Wales	274 (−14)
1986	Mark McNulty	Zimbabwe	282 (−6)
1985	Bernhard Langer	West Germany	278 (−10)
1984	Seve Ballesteros (2)	Spain	279 (−9)
1983	Seve Ballesteros	Spain	274 (-14)
1982	Raymond Floyd	United States	280 (−8)PO
1981	Johnny Miller	United States	277 (−11)PO