• The South African Airways Open has a rich history and is the second oldest National Open Championship in the world, dating back to 1893, where it was first played in Port Elizabeth. Only The Open Championship, which started in 1860 is older.
• Defending Champion, Ernie Els, created history at Humewood 12 months ago by creating the lowest winning 72 hole aggregate in the South African Airways Open – 264 (-24), beating the previous record of 267 (-21) by Tony Johnstone in 1993 at Royal Durban.
• Four time South African Airways Open Champion, Ernie Els will be looking to continue his outstanding record in the event. From his 13 appearances as a professional, he has recorded eight top three finishes and been out of the top ten only twice.
• When Mattias Grönberg won in 2000 he became only the second European to win the South African Open, following Tommy Horton in 1970..
• The 1999 champion, David Frost created European Tour history when he triumphed at Stellenbosch by creating the biggest gap between victories – 14 years and 95 days, from when he won the 1984 Compagnie de Chauffe Cannes Open.
• This year’s Championship will be boasting four Major Championships, who have won eight Majors between them. They are: Angel Cabrera, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Greg Norman.
