# Desvonde Botes

Desvonde Pierre Botes (born 2 November 1974) is a South African professional golfer.

## Early life

Botes was born in Pretoria. After winning the South African Amateur Championship in 1991 at the age of 16 years and 5 months, 20 days younger than the record set by Ernie Els,

## Professional career

In 1992, Botes turned professional. His first professional victory came in the Mercedes Benz Golf Challenge on the Southern Africa Tour in 1993.
Following further successes on the Southern Africa Tour, including the South African Masters in 1998, Botes attempted to qualify for the European Tour. He did not manage to gain full exemption in 1999, but returned the following year and was medalist at the European Tour Qualifying School less than a week after claiming his second Platinum Classic title in South Africa. He finished just outside the top 100 in the Order of Merit, with a best finish of 5th in the Benson & Hedges International Open.
Back problems in 2002 and 2003, meant Botes was unable to retain his place on the European Tour. He returned to South Africa and won the Parmalat Classic on his way to 3rd place on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit. That promising form prompted another attempt at the European Tour Qualifying School. He claimed the last card for the 2004 season, but made only five cuts in the regular tour events, with a best finish of 9th, and failed to retain his playing privileges for the following season. Since then he has competed on the Sunshine Tour with limited success, although he has won several titles on the less competitive Winter Swing of the schedule.

## Professional wins (14)
### Sunshine Tour wins (12)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 15 Dec 1996 | Zambia Open | −8 (68-70-70=208) | 1 stroke | Neil Homann |
| 2 | 5 Jul 1997 | Bosveld Classic | −11 (66-72-67=205) | 3 strokes | Darren Fichardt |
| 3 | 18 Oct 1997 | Vodacom Series (Western Cape) | −13 (69-66-68=203) | Playoff | Dean van Staden |
| 4 | 17 Jan 1998 | Platinum Classic | −17 (68-64-67=199) | 3 strokes | Richard Kaplan, Hennie Walters |
| 5 | 2 May 1998 | Pietersburg Classic | −19 (62-67-68=197) | 5 strokes | Sammy Daniels |
| 6 | 14 Feb 1999 | South African Masters | −19 (65-68-72-64=269) | 1 stroke | Dean van Staden |
| 7 | 25 Sep 1999 | Vodacom Series (2) (Free State) | −10 (68-67-71=206) | 1 stroke | Titch Moore |
| 8 | 12 Nov 2000 | Platinum Classic (2) | −14 (66-66-70=202) | 1 stroke | Roger Wessels |
| 9 | 27 Jun 2003 | Parmalat Classic | −9 (68-69-70=207) | 2 strokes | James Kingston |
| 10 | 13 May 2005 | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Pretoria | −14 (66-65-71=202) | Playoff | Jean Hugo |
| 11 | 27 May 2005 | Vodacom Origins of Golf (2) at Pezula | −18 (66-67-65=198) | 6 strokes | Ian Hutchings |
| 12 | 30 Sep 2006 | Seekers Travel Pro-Am | −20 (67-62-67=196) | 3 strokes | Alex Haindl |
Sunshine Tour playoff record (2–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1997 | Vodacom Series (Western Cape) | Dean van Staden | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2005 | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Pretoria | Jean Hugo | Won with birdie on first extra hole |

### IGT Pro Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 26 Jan 2012 | #1 IGT Summer Series | −18 (67-63-68=198) | 5 strokes | Jean Hugo |

### Other wins (1)

* 1993 Mercedes Benz Golf Challenge

## Playoff record

Asian PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1999 | Nokia Singapore Open | Kenny Druce | Lost to par on second extra hole |

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| The Open Championship | T64 | | | | | | | CUT |
Note: Botes only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" = tied

## Results in World Golf Championships

| Tournament | 2004 |
| Match Play | |
| Championship | T48 |
| Invitational | |
"T" = Tied