# Dale Hayes

Dale Hayes (born 1 July 1952) is a South African professional golfer.

## Amateur career

Hayes won the 15–17 Boys category at the Junior World Golf Championships in 1969.

## Professional career

In 1970, Hayes turned professional. On December 6, 1971, Hayes won the Bert Hagerman Invitational on his 19th birthday, his first win on tour. Overall, Hayes won more than a dozen events in South Africa, leading the Southern African Tour's Order of Merit in 1972/73. He also finished as runner up on the Order of Merit in 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1979. In 1974, he won the World Cup of Golf for South Africa in partnership with Bobby Cole.
In 1971, Hayes won the Spanish Open at the age of 18 years. In 1973, he was fourth on the European Tour Order of Merit, improving to second in 1974 and first in 1975. He played on the PGA Tour in 1976 and 1977, with a best finish of tied for second at the 1977 Florida Citrus Open. He also finished in the top four on the European Tour's Order of Merit in 1978 and 1979, but played little professional golf after his late twenties.
Since he stopped playing tour golf, Hayes has remained involved in the sport in a variety of ways. He has worked as a broadcaster in South Africa and for the Golf Channel, started and edited a golf magazine and helped to found an internet golf shopping business. He is involved in golf course design through a company called Matkovich & Hayes, although he deals only with marketing and public relations, while the actual design is handled by his business partner Peter Matkovic, a professional golfer. Hayes also works as a public speaker and gives golf clinics.

## Amateur wins

* 1969 World Junior Championship (Boys 15–17), South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship, German Amateur Championship, Brazilian Amateur Championship
* 1970 South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship

## Professional wins (23)
### European Tour wins (4)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 20 Jul 1975 | Swiss Open | −7 (68-69-66-70=273) | 1 stroke | Tienie Britz, Bernard Gallacher, Gary Player |
| 2 | 7 May 1978 | Italian Open | +5 (74-72-68-79=293) | 3 strokes | Vin Baker, Tommy Horton |
| 3 | 15 May 1978 | French Open | −19 (66-69-67-67=269) | 11 strokes | Seve Ballesteros |
| 4 | 22 Apr 1979 | Spanish Open | −10 (70-75-67-66=278) | 2 strokes | Brian Barnes |
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1979 | Italian Open | Brian Barnes | Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole |

### Southern Africa Tour wins (14)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 4 Dec 1971 | Bert Hagerman Invitational | −22 (66-66-66-68=266) | 5 strokes | Hugh Baiocchi |
| 2 | 7 Jan 1973 | Holiday Inns Open | −8 (69-67=136) | 1 stroke | Trevor Wilkes |
| 3 | 17 Feb 1973 | Corlett Drive Classic | −14 (68-72-69-65=274) | 2 strokes | Comrie du Toit |
| 4 | 24 Feb 1973 | Schoeman Park Open | −10 (72-71-66-69=278) | 5 strokes | Dave Wren |
| 5 | 9 Dec 1973 | Rhodesian Dunlop Masters | −13 (69-68-68-70=275) | 2 strokes | Allan Henning |
| 6 | 15 Dec 1973 | Rolux Open | −21 (64-67-68-68=267) | 7 strokes | Harold Henning |
| 7 | 23 Feb 1974 | Holiday Inns Open | −19 (64-68-67-70=269) | 2 strokes | Bob Charles |
| 8 | 16 Nov 1974 | Beck's PGA Championship | −9 (68-65-69-69=271) | 1 stroke | Gary Player |
| 9 | 29 Nov 1975 | Beck's PGA Championship (2) | −14 (66-71-62-67=266) | 6 strokes | Allan Henning |
| 10 | 6 Dec 1975 | Holiday Inns Open (2) | −13 (69-75-66-65=275) | Playoff | John Fourie |
| 11 | 31 Jan 1976 | BP South African Open | −1 (75-69-71-72=287) | Playoff | John Fourie |
| 12 | 20 Nov 1976 | Sportsman Lager PGA Championship (3) | −14 (68-66-66-66=266) | 1 stroke | Gary Player |
| 13 | 18 Nov 1978 | ICL International | −15 (65-65-66-69=265) | Playoff | Hugh Baiocchi |
| 14 | 15 Dec 1978 | Kronenbrau Masters | −13 (67-72-66-70=275) | Playoff | Tienie Britz |
Southern Africa Tour playoff record (3–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1973 | General Motors International Classic | Hugh Baiocchi | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1975 | Holiday Inns Open | John Fourie | Won with par on fourth extra hole |
| 3 | 1976 | BP South African Open | John Fourie | Won 18-hole playoff; Hayes: −3 (69), Fourie: E (72) |
| 4 | 1976 | Holiday Inns Invitational | Hugh Baiocchi | Lost to par on fourth extra hole |
| 5 | 1978 | ICL International | Hugh Baiocchi | Won with par on third extra hole |
| 6 | 1978 | Kronenbrau Masters | Tienie Britz | Won with birdie on third extra hole |

### Other wins (5)

    This list is incomplete.
* 1971 Spanish Open
* 1974 Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship, World Cup (with Bobby Cole)
* 1975 T.P.D. Young Professionals' Championship
* 1980 Columbian Open

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | | | CUT | T19 | CUT | | | | |
| The Open Championship | CUT | | 17 | CUT | T39 | CUT | T32 | T48 | | T11 | CUT | T38 | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1972 Open Championship) "T" = tied Note: Hayes never played in the U.S. Open or the PGA Championship.

## Team appearances

Amateur
* Eisenhower Trophy (representing South Africa): 1970
Professional
* World Cup (representing South Africa): 1974 (winners), 1976
* Datsun International (representing South Africa): 1976 (winners)