# Simon Hobday

Simon Forbes Newbold Hobday (23 June 1940 – 2 March 2017) was a South African professional golfer who won tournaments on three continents.

## Early life

Hobday was born in the British Embassy in Mafikeng, South Africa. Both of his parents were from England.

## Amateur career

Hobday lived part of his life in Zambia and represented the country in the 1966 Eisenhower Trophy. In early 1969, he was still an amateur golfer and still represented Zambia. At the time, he worked as a car salesman in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.
In April 1969, while still an amateur, Hobday played the Kenya Open. In the final round he broke the course record at the Muthaiga Golf Course with a 66 (−6) to leap into second place. At 284 (−4) he finished joint runner-up with Scotland's Bernard Gallacher, five behind champion Maurice Bembridge. He defeated several notable professionals including Christy O'Connor Snr and Australia's Bob Tuohy.

## Professional career

In 1969, Hobday turned professional. He spent his regular career mainly on the Southern Africa Tour, where he won six times and the European Tour, where he won the 1976 German Open and the 1979 Madrid Open.
In 1977, the British government froze his earnings on the British PGA because London had "political and sporting sanctions with Rhodesia." As a response, Hobday changed his sporting nationality from Rhodesia to South Africa. In 1981, he "quit the European tour." That year, he also moved from Zimbabwe to South Africa. He began work at Wingate Park Club in Pretoria, South Africa.
As a senior, he played mainly in the United States on the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour), where he claimed five titles between 1993 and 1995 including one senior major, the 1994 U.S. Senior Open.

## Professional wins (17)
### European Tour wins (2)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 15 Aug 1976 | German Open | −18 (67-68-65-66=266) | 1 stroke | Antonio Garrido |
| 2 | 29 Apr 1979 | Madrid Open | −3 (67-73-71-74=285) | 2 strokes | Francisco Abreu, Gordon J. Brand, Tienie Britz |

### Southern Africa Tour wins (5)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 4 Nov 1978 | Rhodesian Dunlop Masters | −16 (68-69-69-66=272) | 4 strokes | Tony Johnstone (a) |
| 2 | 11 Nov 1978 | Victoria Falls Classic | −5 (74-73-73-69=287) | 1 stroke | Phil Simmons |
| 3 | 11 Nov 1979 | Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Open | −13 (69-71-65-70=275 | Playoff | Denis Watson |
| 4 | 28 Nov 1981 | ICL International | −16 (68-64-70-70=272) | 7 strokes | John Bland |
| 5 | 2 Mar 1985 | Trustbank Tournament of Champions | −10 (68-70-68-72=278) | 2 strokes | Jack Ferenz |
Southern Africa Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1979 | Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Open | Denis Watson | Won with par on second extra hole |

### Other wins (1)

* 1971 South African Open

### Senior PGA Tour wins (5)

* Legend
* Senior major championships (1)
* Tour Championships (1)
* Other Senior PGA Tour (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 4 Jul 1993 | Kroger Senior Classic | −11 (67-69-66=202) | 1 stroke | Gibby Gilbert, Mike Hill, Bob Reith |
| 2 | 12 Dec 1993 | Hyatt Senior Tour Championship | −17 (64-68-67=199) | 2 strokes | Raymond Floyd, Larry Gilbert |
| 3 | 3 Jul 1994 | U.S. Senior Open | −10 (66-67-66-75=274) | 1 stroke | Jim Albus, Graham Marsh |
| 4 | 4 Sep 1994 | GTE Northwest Classic | −7 (70-69-70=209) | Playoff | Jim Albus |
| 5 | 17 Sep 1995 | Brickyard Crossing Championship | −12 (71-65-68=204) | 1 stroke | Isao Aoki, Hale Irwin, Bob Murphy, Lee Trevino |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1994 | GTE Northwest Classic | Jim Albus | Won with birdie on third extra hole |

### Other senior wins (4)

* 1997/98 Vodacom Senior Classic (South Africa)
* 2001 Nelson Mandela Invitational (with Martin Maritz), Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Jim Albus)
* 2003 Nelson Mandela Invitational (with Lee Westwood)

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| U.S. Open | | | | | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | WD | | | | T28 | T21 | CUT | T52 | T30 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| U.S. Open | | | | | | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | T51 | | | T19 | CUT | CUT | | | | |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| U.S. Open | | | | | | CUT |
| The Open Championship | | | | | | |
Note: Hobday never played in the Masters Tournament or the PGA Championship.
WD = withdrew CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1977 and 1984 Open Championships) "T" indicates a tie for a place

## Champions Tour major championships
### Wins (1)

| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
| 1994 | U.S. Senior Open | −10 (66-67-66-75=274) | 1 stroke | Jim Albus, Graham Marsh |

## Team appearances

Amateur
* Eisenhower Trophy (representing Zambia): 1966
Professional
* Double Diamond International (representing the Rest of the World): 1976, 1977