# South Australian PGA Championship

The South Australian PGA Championship was a professional golf tournament played in South Australia. It was first held in 1927.

## History

The first South Australian Professional Championship was held in 1927 and was a 72-hole stroke-play event. It was won by Rufus Stewart, four ahead of Fergus McMahon. Stewart had recently won the Australian Open. McMahon won in 1928, 1929 and 1930, and as a three-time winner he permanently kept the trophy that had been presented in 1927. With only a small number of professional in the state, there were only four different winners in the first 15 championships. Stewart won 6 times and McMahon 5 times, while Alf Toogood won twice, before he moved to Tasmania, and Willie Harvey also won twice, in 1938 and 1940. The format changed to match-play in 1937, all matches being over 36 holes. In 1937 and 1938 there were just 8 entries and a straight knock-out format was used. However, there were 9 entries in 1939 and a 36-hole qualifying stage was used to reduce the field to 8. In 1940 the qualifying stage was retained but just four players advanced to the match-play stage. The 1941 event was reduced to a single day, with 36 holes of stroke-play.
The championship resumed in 1946, using the 1940 format with four players qualifying, and this format was retained for a number of years. From 1946 to 1950 only 16 players qualified for the Australian PGA Championship. Each state was allocated a specific number of places and organised their own qualifying event for those places. South Australia was allocated just one place. In 1946 there was a 36-hole qualifying event but from 1947 to 1950 the winner of the South Australian Professional Championship qualified.
In the early 1950s, there were a few notable tournaments. In 1951, in the semifinals, while playing against Murray Crafter, competitor Willie Harvey had a heart attack on the 11th hole and died. Administrators considered cancelling the event. However, they ultimately decided that the tournament would proceed though the finals would be delayed about a week. Crafter would go on to win, defeating his brother Brian Crafter 6 & 5. In 1952, there was a dispute between the two finalists, Brian Crafter and Fred Thompson. Crafter won the match at the 38th hole but at the 35th hole he had lifted and dropped his ball away from a staked tree. Thompson objected and the matter was not fully resolved until just before the 1953 event, confirming Crafter as the winner.

## Winners

| Year | Tour | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Venue |
| OG Roberts South Australian PGA Championship |||||||||
| 2008 | VNT | Heath Reed | 248 | −20 | 2 strokes | Tristan Lambert Peter Senior Aaron Townsend | Blue Lake |
| Hahn South Australian PGA Championship |||||||||
| 2007 | VNT | Tim Wise | 266 | −14 | Playoff | Ashley Hall | Blue Lake |
| South Australian PGA Championship |||||||||
| 2006 | VNT | David Diaz | 279 | −9 | 1 stroke | Dean Alaban | Tanunda Pines |
| SA PGA Championship |||||||||
| 2005 | VNT | Tony McFadyean | 273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Andrew Duffin | The Grange |
| Schweppes SA PGA Championship |||||||||
| 2004 | VNT | Martin Doyle | 282 | −6 | 5 strokes | Brad Lamb | The Grange |
| 2003 | VNT | Stuart Bouvier (2) | 268 | −16 | 1 stroke | Scott Hend | The Vines |
| 2002 | ANZ | Richard Ball | 264 | −20 | 5 strokes | Adrian Percey | The Vines |
| 2001 | ANZDT | Tony Carolan | 282 | −10 | Playoff | Chris Gray | Tea Tree Gully |
| Schweppes South Australian PGA Championship |||||||||
| 2000 | ANZDT | Chris Gray | 279 | −9 | 2 strokes | Craig Carmichael | Glenelg |
| South Australian PGA Championship |||||||||
| 1998–1999: No information known |||||||||
| 1997 | | David Capaldo | 205 | −11 | 2 strokes | Shane Robinson | McCracken |
| 1996 | FT | Lyndsay Stephen | 278 | −10 | Playoff | Craig Spence | McCracken |
| 1995 | FT | Stuart Bouvier | 206 | −10 | Playoff | David Bransdon | McCracken |
| Lasseters SA and NT PGA Championship |||||||||
| 1994 | FT | Stuart Appleby | 201 | −15 | 11 strokes | Michael Barry | Alice Springs |
| South Australian PGA Championship |||||||||
| 1993 | | Mark Officer | 202 | | 2 strokes | Mike Colandro | Wirrina Cove |
| 1990–1992: No information known |||||||||
| 1989 | | Roger Stephens | 142 | −2 | 1 stroke | Peter Lonard | Wirrina |
| 1978–1988: No information known |||||||||
| 1977 | | David Galloway | | | | | Flagstaff Hill |
| 1976 | | Bob Tuohy | 285 | −3 | 1 stroke | Frank Phillips | Flagstaff Hill |
| 1975 | | Vaughan Somers | 287 | | 2 strokes | Vic Bennetts Frank Phillips | |
| 1974 | | John Sheargold | 288 | | 1 stroke | Stan Peach | |
| 1973 | ANZ | Stan Peach | | | | | |
| 1972: No information known |||||||||
| 1971 | | Vic Bennetts | | | 9 strokes | Barry Coxon Bill Dunk Jerry Stolhand | |
| 1970 | | Glen McCully | 290 | | 3 strokes | Murray Crafter Dennis Ingram Stan Peach | Kooyonga |
| 1962–1969: No information known |||||||||
| 1961 | | John Sullivan | 2 and 1 | 2 and 1 | 2 and 1 | Murray Crafter | |
| 1960 | | Murray Crafter (8) | 6 and 5 | 6 and 5 | 6 and 5 | John Sullivan | Royal Adelaide |
| 1959 | | Murray Crafter (7) | | | | Brian Crafter | Kooyonga |
| 1958 | | Murray Crafter (6) | 3 and 2 | 3 and 2 | 3 and 2 | Brian Crafter | Royal Adelaide |
| 1957 | | Murray Crafter (5) | | | | | |
| 1956 | | Murray Crafter (4) | | | | | |
| 1955 | | Murray Crafter (3) | | | | | |
| 1954 | | Bruce Auld (3) | 1 up | 1 up | 1 up | Murray Crafter | Royal Adelaide |
| 1953 | | Fred Thompson | 2 up | 2 up | 2 up | Murray Crafter | Royal Adelaide |
| 1952 | | Brian Crafter | 38 holes | 38 holes | 38 holes | Fred Thompson | Kooyonga |
| 1951 | | Murray Crafter (2) | 6 and 5 | 6 and 5 | 6 and 5 | Brian Crafter | Royal Adelaide |
| 1950 | | Murray Crafter | 5 and 4 | 5 and 4 | 5 and 4 | Gordon Westthorp | Kooyonga |
| 1949 | | Bruce Auld (2) | 37 holes | 37 holes | 37 holes | Willie Harvey | Royal Adelaide |
| 1948 | | Gordon Westthorp | 2 up | 2 up | 2 up | Denis Denehey | Kooyonga |
| 1947 | | Denis Denehey | 6 and 5 | 6 and 5 | 6 and 5 | Willie Harvey | Royal Adelaide |
| 1946 | | Bruce Auld | 4 and 3 | 4 and 3 | 4 and 3 | Willie Harvey | Kooyonga |
| 1942–1945: No tournament due to World War II |||||||||
| 1941 | | Rufus Stewart (6) | 159 | | 4 strokes | Sam Walsh | Kooyonga |
| 1940 | | Willie Harvey (2) | 2 up | 2 up | 2 up | Fergus McMahon | Kooyonga |
| 1939 | | Rufus Stewart (5) | 8 and 7 | 8 and 7 | 8 and 7 | Bill Robertson | Royal Adelaide |
| 1938 | | Willie Harvey | 5 and 3 | 5 and 3 | 5 and 3 | Bruce Auld | Kooyonga |
| 1937 | | Fergus McMahon (5) | 5 and 4 | 5 and 4 | 5 and 4 | Rufus Stewart | Royal Adelaide |
| 1936 | | Rufus Stewart (4) | 301 | | 4 strokes | Fergus McMahon | Royal Adelaide |
| 1935 | | Rufus Stewart (3) | 294 | | 4 strokes | Fergus McMahon | Royal Adelaide |
| 1934 | | Fergus McMahon (4) | 297 | | 14 strokes | Alf Toogood | Kooyonga |
| 1933 | | Alf Toogood (2) | 296 | | 2 strokes | Fergus McMahon | Royal Adelaide |
| 1932 | | Alf Toogood | 302 | | 2 strokes | Rufus Stewart | Royal Adelaide |
| 1931 | | Rufus Stewart (2) | 303 | | 5 strokes | Willie Harvey | Royal Adelaide |
| 1930 | | Fergus McMahon (3) | 307 | | Playoff | Alf Toogood | Royal Adelaide |
| 1929 | | Fergus McMahon (2) | 296 | | 4 strokes | Rufus Stewart | Royal Adelaide |
| 1928 | | Fergus McMahon | 297 | | 4 strokes | Rufus Stewart | Royal Adelaide |
| 1927 | | Rufus Stewart | 299 | | 5 strokes | Fergus McMahon | Royal Adelaide |