BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
ZIMBABWE-BORN legendary golfer and commentator Denis Hutchinson will be honoured by the South African golf fraternity for his immense contribution to Southern African golf through a new tournament to be held at his home course of Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.
The 87-year-old Hutchinson is affectionately known as the “Voice of Golf” in South Africa, having been a mainstay of the SuperSport golf commentary team, as well as working internationally for Sky Sports which broadcasts the game around the globe.
During his playing career, Hutchinson was also revered for his extraordinary talent which took him to numerous victories and he turned professional not long after winning the South African Championship as an amateur in 1959.
He was inducted into the Southern Africa Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.
In recognition of Hutchinson’s immense contribution, the Sunshine Tour, in partnership with PGA of South Africa, GolfRSA and the South African Golf Association (SAGA), will organise a tournament to celebrate his achievements.
The Denis Hutchinson Challenge Trophy will be played on a date still to be announced and will feature 10 Sunshine Tour professionals and 10 PGA of South Africa professionals competing as a team against a 20-strong GolfRSA amateur team in an annual challenge match.
Selwyn Nathan, the commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, made the announcement during the third round of last week’s South African Open at Randpark Golf Club on Saturday.
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“This year is the 60th anniversary of Denis Hutchinson winning the South African Open as an amateur. Between all of us as the bodies representing South African golf, we wanted to celebrate this and build a legacy for Hutchy in years to come. Hutchy is a really special man. He is the voice of golf around the world. As a player, he has been able to transfer the skills he had to many professionals and amateurs, and for us to have someone as special as him in South African golf to honour is a great privilege,” said Nathan.
SAGA president Naadir Agherdien said Hutchinson remains an incredible role model for the country’s amateur golfers.
“Denis Hutchinson represents everything of what we want our leading amateurs to be, both on and off the fairways. He is a true inspiration for our amateurs. An event like this will also give our amateurs an opportunity to test themselves against the professionals and see where their own games stand,” Agherdien said.
Ivano Ficalbi, chief executive of the PGA of South Africa, described the challenge match as a fitting tribute to Hutchinson, who is held in high esteem by generations of PGA professionals in his role as Honorary Life President of the PGA of South Africa.
“Any PGA member who has qualified since the 90s will have Denis Hutchinson’s signature on his certificate of qualification. Denis has always been somebody our members have always looked up to not just for what he’s achieved as a golfer, but also because he always has time for our members. I think this trophy will be played in exactly the kind of spirit that reflects Denis and his love for the game of golf.”
Hutchinson was born and bred in Mutare (then Umtali) where he learnt the basics on the wide, sweeping golf courses around the country as a junior .
He emigrated to Johannesburg when he was 20 where he found work as a furniture salesman.
He joined Germiston Golf Club in Johannesburg and later ERPM Golf Club in Pretoria, from where he played most of his professional golf.
Hutchinson’s extraordinary talent took him to numerous local victories and he turned pro not long after winning the South African Championship as an amateur in 1959. He went on to win the South African PGA Championship in 1970 and the Dunlop Masters four times.
Outside of South Africa he won the French Open in 1966. He partnered celebrated legendary South African golfer Gary Player twice in the World Cup Championship.
Hutchinson retired from tournament golf after playing on the South African Seniors Tour in 1999 before turning to golf commentary. He is also Honorary Life President of the PGA of South Africa.
