Victoria Falls Classic
The Victoria Falls Classic was a Rhodesian golf tournament held from 1976 to 1979. Starting in 1977 it was on the Southern African Tour.
History[edit]
The event was played at Elephant Hills Country Club at Victoria Falls, Rhodesia. The course was a par-73 measuring 7,868 yards.[1] It was the longest course in Africa.[2]
The inaugural event was sponsored by Meikles. Englishman Nick Job beat South African Andries Oosthuizen in a sudden-death playoff after they had tied on 293.[3] The following year, days after the event, the Elephant Hills Country Club was destroyed by fire, after being hit by a missile during the Rhodesian Bush War.[4][5] In 1978, the war was still going on but the tournament continued to be played.[6]
Winners[edit]
- 1976
Nick Job[3] - 1977
John Bland[7] - 1978 Simon Hobday[citation needed]
- 1979 Phil Simmons[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "Bland's blitz". Western Daily Press. 29 October 1977. p. 16. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Golfers out to brave a course with teeth". Birmingham Evening Mail. 8 November 1978. p. 34. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Meikles Classic (at Victoria Falls)". The Guardian. 15 November 1976. p. 17.
- ^ "To The Victoria Falls – Development of the Victoria Falls". www.tothevictoriafalls.com.
- ^ "Rocket attack greets Carver". The Glasgow Herald. 3 November 1977. p. 2 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Steel, Donald (12 November 1978). "World-wide harvest". The Sunday Telegraph. p. 37. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "John Bland". The Glasgow Herald. 31 October 1977. p. 21 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Victoria Falls Classic". Sunshine Tour Information Centre. Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 8 December 2022.