Golf Review / Editor / 19 April 2007 / Leave a comment

Bobby Locke and Gary Player were the forerunners in making South Africa a major force on the world stage and the likes of Ernie Els and Retief Goosen have not disappointed in recent years, picking up the baton to ensure the trend continues heading in the right direction.

Locke was the first South African to show that the strength of America could be defeated with a series of unforgettable performances in the 1940s and 50s, while Player proved he was more than a match for the best in the world by carrying on his work in the latter part of the 20th century.

Their desire to be the best and put their country on the map has not been wasted. South African golf has arguably never been healthier or stronger, with Els, Goosen and Trevor Immelman leading the way as major contenders in events all over the world.

Els, Goosen and Immelman are all in the world's top 15 ranked players, with Rory Sabbatini and Tim Clark not far behind in 22nd and 39th place respectively.

Their strength in Europe is even more impressive, with four South Africans in the European Order of Merit's top ten and seven in the top 25. Locke would be very proud.

Having made his name in South Africa, Locke was invited to play on the PGA Tour by golfing legend Sam Snead after he had beaten him 12 out of 14 times in a series of exhibition matches. During his career in America, he won 11 out of 59 tournaments and claimed four Major titles on his way to finishing in the first three an amazing 30 times.

It was here that he also coined the famous phrase 'You drive for show, but putt for dough' and it something his successors have certainly borne in mind as they have set about creating their own world reputations.

Player went five better than Locke in terms of Major titles and is one of only five players to completed the Grand Slam in a year, achieving the feat at the age of 29.

There are also few sportsmen who have ever possessed a greater desire and determination to succeed than Player, and it is this attitude that has helped inspire the modern generation of players from his country.

Els and Goosen are, inevitably, the names that first spring to mind when you think of South African stars of today and justifiably so.

The pair have five Major titles between them - including four US Opens -winning two European Order of Merit crowns each and have long been established in the top ten world rankings.

They also appear to have renewed drive to close the gap on world number one Tiger Woods in 2007, having already tasted success on the European Tour.

Els has already set himself a three-year target to catch Woods, while Goosen's showed the well-being of his game by emerging out of the pack to eventually finish second behind Zach Johnson at this month's US Masters.

Els and Goosen are currently trading at 8.2 and 8 to overtake present leader Henrik Stenson and win their third European Order of Merit crowns, while it would be no surprise to see either player lifting the trophy at the US Open at Oakmont in June.

But the success of present-day South African golf goes a lot deeper than Els and Goosen, with a growing number of players ready to challenge them to take over the mantel of their country's best player.

Immelman has long been touted as a champion of the future by his mentor Player and is now beginning to fulfill his immense promise.

His first PGA Tour win at the Cialis Western Open last year - when he holed a 30-foot birdie putt at the last hole to beat Woods - helped the 27-year-old finish seventh on the money list as he amassed career-best earnings of $5.1 million for a season.

Immelman's game is improving all the time and don't be surprised to see him challenge at The Open Championship this summer - his favourite Major - after being forced to miss the tournament last year due to the birth of his first child.

Sabbatini and Clark both fit into the same category as Immelman and have showed that they're ready to step up to the plate and win a Grand Slam in the last two US Masters.

Clark pushed Phil Mickelson all the way at Augusta last year and shared the lead at the halfway stage this year, before eventually slipping back. He may not be the longest of hitters, but he is deadly accurate and relishes the pressure-cooker atmosphere that playing in the Grand Slam tournaments brings.

Sabbatini has won three times on the PGA Tour during his career and looked like adding the Masters to his list of honours, when taking the lead during the final round at Augusta this year.

Rather than him falling back, it was the inspired play of Zach Johnson that forced Sabbatini to miss out this time but the sometime controversial figure has proved that he can compete with the best and could be worth following this summer.

There are also a shortage of young pretenders to the South African number one crown. The athletic Charl Schwartzel is a youngster with immense talent, who currently lies 16th in the Order of Merit standings after some impressive displays early in the season.

Twenty-year-old Anton Haig announced himself as star of the future by triumphing in a play-off to win this year's Johnnie Walker Classic.

Backers should also be aware of Richard Sterne and Andrew McLardy when making their selections in Europe in 2007.

Sterne had to settle for second best to Haig in Thailand, but has been in contention at events throughout the first part of the season. Meanwhile, McLardy is a player who is somewhat underrated and looks capable of much more judging by his performances over the last 18 months - including finishing joint-second at this month's Volvo China Open.