EXHIBIT 31.1

                                  CERTIFICATION
                CERTIFICATION OF THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                     PURSUANT TO 15 U.S.C. 78M(A) OR 78O(D)
                 (SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002)

I, Mack I. Whittle, Jr., certify that:

         1. I have  reviewed  this  quarterly  report  on Form 10-Q of The South
Financial Group, Inc.;

         2. Based on my  knowledge,  this  report  does not  contain  any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary to make
the statements made, in light of the  circumstances  under which such statements
were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

         3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as
of, and for, the periods presented in this annual report;

         4. The registrant's  other certifying officer and I are responsible for
establishing and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal controls over financial
reporting  (as defined in Exchange Act Rules  13a-15(f) and  15d-15(f))  for the
registrant and have:

                  (a)  designed  such  disclosure  controls and  procedures,  or
         caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
         supervision,  to  ensure  that  material  information  relating  to the
         registrant,  including its consolidated subsidiaries,  is made known to
         us by others within those entities,  particularly  during the period in
         which this report is being prepared;

                  (b) [reserved];

                  (c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure
         controls and  procedures  and presented in this report our  conclusions
         about the effectiveness of the disclosure  controls and procedures,  as
         of the  end of  the  period  covered  by  this  report  based  on  such
         evaluation;

                  (d)  disclosed  in this report any change in the  registrant's
         internal  control over  financial  reporting  that occurred  during the
         registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal
         quarter in the  annual  report)  that has  materially  affected,  or is
         reasonably  likely to  materially  affect,  the  registrant's  internal
         control over financial reporting; and

         5. The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer and I have  disclosed,
based  on  our  most  recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over  financial
reporting,  to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's
board of directors:

                  (a) all significant  deficiencies  and material  weaknesses in
         the design or operation of internal  control over  financial  reporting
         which  are  reasonably  likely to  adversely  affect  the  registrant's
         ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information;
         and

                  (b)  any  fraud,  whether  or  not  material,   that  involves
         management  or  other  employees  who  have a  significant  role in the
         registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May 7, 2004

                                            /s/ Mack I. Whittle, Jr.
                                            ------------------------
                                            Mack I. Whittle, Jr.
                                            Chief Executive Officer