James Kamte
Encyclopedia
James Bongani Kamte nicknamed "Cobra", is a South Africa
n golf
er. He has been playing on the Sunshine Tour
and European Challenge Tours
for the past four years, and earned his tour card for the 2008 European Tour season by finishing in the top 30 of the qualifying school
.
player in his childhood and his nickname, "Cobra", comes from his football days.
He grew up in St Francis, and received a bursary through several Golf clubs in the St Francis area and Nomads Golf Club, to attend Woodridge College
where he matriculated in 2000.
, he started his run on July 2 by finishing second in the Samsung Royal Swazi Sun Open, closely followed by another second place finish at the Vodacom Origins Tournament in Pretoria a week later.
On the European Challenge Tour, Kamte's best finish has been second place in the Kenya Open in Nairobi, Kenya. He also had a fourth place finish at the Vodafone Challenge in Germany.
After a good run of form, James went on to win his first Sunshine Tour victory at the Seekers Travel Pro-Am tournament at the Dainfern Country Club, Johannesburg on September 8, 2007.
On 8 June 2009, Kamte qualified for the 2009 U.S. Open
through sectional qualifying in Columbus, Ohio
.
He won his fourth Sunshine Tour event at the BMG Classic
in 2011.
, finishing tied for 22nd place, right on the cut-off line for the top 30 and ties who earn their playing privileges on the main European Tour for the 2008 season. This made him the first black South African player to earn European Tour playing privileges since Vincent Tshabalala
in 1976. He ended the season ranked 138th on the Order of Merit, meaning Kamte would have limited playing opportunities for the 2009 season.
Kamte followed up his performance at the European qualifying school by winning the Sunshine Tour's Dimension Data Pro-Am
in January 2008, becoming the first black South African golfer to win an event on the summer swing of that tour.
in Thailand, thus guaranteeing Kamte starts in events co-sanctioned by the Asian and European tours for the remainder of the season.
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied for place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er. He has been playing on the Sunshine Tour
Sunshine Tour
The Sunshine Tour is a men's professional golf tour based in Southern Africa. For much of its history it was known either as the South African Tour or the FNB Tour, but it rebranded itself in an attempt to broaden its appeal...
and European Challenge Tours
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...
for the past four years, and earned his tour card for the 2008 European Tour season by finishing in the top 30 of the qualifying school
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
.
Early life
Kamte was a footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player in his childhood and his nickname, "Cobra", comes from his football days.
He grew up in St Francis, and received a bursary through several Golf clubs in the St Francis area and Nomads Golf Club, to attend Woodridge College
Woodridge College
Woodridge College is a private, co-educational school in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.Woodridge is situated near the small town of Thornhill, roughly half way between Jeffrey's Bay and Port Elizabeth...
where he matriculated in 2000.
Career overview
James Kamte turned professional in 2003 after representing Gauteng in the Under-23 division, and subsequently in the Gauteng Seniors side.Career highlights
2007 was successful for Kamte. On the Sunshine TourSunshine Tour
The Sunshine Tour is a men's professional golf tour based in Southern Africa. For much of its history it was known either as the South African Tour or the FNB Tour, but it rebranded itself in an attempt to broaden its appeal...
, he started his run on July 2 by finishing second in the Samsung Royal Swazi Sun Open, closely followed by another second place finish at the Vodacom Origins Tournament in Pretoria a week later.
On the European Challenge Tour, Kamte's best finish has been second place in the Kenya Open in Nairobi, Kenya. He also had a fourth place finish at the Vodafone Challenge in Germany.
After a good run of form, James went on to win his first Sunshine Tour victory at the Seekers Travel Pro-Am tournament at the Dainfern Country Club, Johannesburg on September 8, 2007.
On 8 June 2009, Kamte qualified for the 2009 U.S. Open
2009 U.S. Open Golf Championship
The 2009 United States Open Championship was the 109th U.S. Open, and was played June 18-22 on the Black Course of Bethpage State Park on Long Island, New York. It was won by Lucas Glover with a 4 under par score of 276....
through sectional qualifying in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
He won his fourth Sunshine Tour event at the BMG Classic
BMG Classic
The BMG Classic is a golf tournament on the Southern Africa based Sunshine Tour. It was founded in 2008 after title sponsors Bearing Man Group ended their long-standing relationship with the Highveld Classic.-Winners:...
in 2011.
European Tour - 2008
Kamte came through the European Tour qualifying schoolQualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
, finishing tied for 22nd place, right on the cut-off line for the top 30 and ties who earn their playing privileges on the main European Tour for the 2008 season. This made him the first black South African player to earn European Tour playing privileges since Vincent Tshabalala
Vincent Tshabalala
Vincent Vesele Tshabalala is a South African professional golfer.Tshabalala was born in Johannesburg and worked as a mechanic before his golf career took over...
in 1976. He ended the season ranked 138th on the Order of Merit, meaning Kamte would have limited playing opportunities for the 2009 season.
Kamte followed up his performance at the European qualifying school by winning the Sunshine Tour's Dimension Data Pro-Am
Dimension Data Pro-Am
The Dimension Data Pro-Am is one of the principal annual golf tournaments on the Southern African Sunshine Tour. It was played in 2009 at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa, with a prize fund in 2008 of 1.8 million rand. In 2011, the tournament will be played from February 17-20...
in January 2008, becoming the first black South African golfer to win an event on the summer swing of that tour.
Asian Tour - 2009
With limited status on the European Tour, Kamte entered the Asian Tour qualifying school for 2009 and finished fourth. He followed up this success by winning the first event of the 2009 season, the Asian Tour InternationalAsian Tour International
The Asian Tour International was a golf tournament on the Asian Tour, played in Thailand from 2008 to 2010.In 2009, following the cancellation of the Emaar-MGF Indian Masters, the Asian Tour International was rescheduled to be the season opening event....
in Thailand, thus guaranteeing Kamte starts in events co-sanctioned by the Asian and European tours for the remainder of the season.
Amateur highlights
- Ranked 5th in South Africa before turning professional
- SA Presidents Team Colours 2003 (Captain)
- 2nd North Province Open Strokeplay (2003)
- T3rd SA Amateur Strokeplay 2002
- 2nd Nomads Central Gauteng Under-23 Open 2002
- 1st Gauteng North Open 2002
- 3rd Freestate/Northern Cape Open 2002
- 7th Gauteng North Etonic Strokeplay 2002
- Ernie ElsErnie ElsTheodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
Foundation Member 2000-2003 - 2nd Gauteng Strokeplay 2001
Asian Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 Feb 2009 2009 Asian Tour The 2009 Asian Tour was the 15th season of the modern Asian Tour, the main men's professional golf tour in Asia excluding Japan, since it was established in 1995... |
Asian Tour International Asian Tour International The Asian Tour International was a golf tournament on the Asian Tour, played in Thailand from 2008 to 2010.In 2009, following the cancellation of the Emaar-MGF Indian Masters, the Asian Tour International was rescheduled to be the season opening event.... |
2 strokes |  Tetsuji HiratsukaTetsuji Hiratsuka is a Japanese professional golfer.Hiratsuka was born in Kyoto, Japan. He has won six times on the Japan Golf Tour. He represented Japan at the 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup with Hideto Tanihara.-Japan Golf Tour wins :*2003 Golf Nippon Series JT Cup... |
Sunshine Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 Sep 2007 2007 Sunshine Tour The 2007 Sunshine Tour was the eighth season of professional golf tournaments since the southern Africa based Sunshine Tour was rebranded in 2000, and the marked the beginning of a new era as the tour switched to a calendar based season, having previously been seasonal... |
Seekers Travel Pro-Am | 1 stroke |  Albert Pistorius |
|
| 2 | 27 Jan 2008 2008 Sunshine Tour The 2008 Sunshine Tour was the ninth season of professional golf tournaments since the southern Africa based Sunshine Tour was relaunched in 2000, and the second since the tour switched a calendar based season in 2007... |
Dimension Data Pro-Am Dimension Data Pro-Am The Dimension Data Pro-Am is one of the principal annual golf tournaments on the Southern African Sunshine Tour. It was played in 2009 at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa, with a prize fund in 2008 of 1.8 million rand. In 2011, the tournament will be played from February 17-20... |
3 strokes | James Kingston James Kingston James Hubert Kingston is a South African professional golfer.Kingston was born in Ottosdal, South Africa. He turned professional in 1988, and is currently a member of the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour... |
|
| 3 | 19 Oct 2008 2008 Sunshine Tour The 2008 Sunshine Tour was the ninth season of professional golf tournaments since the southern Africa based Sunshine Tour was relaunched in 2000, and the second since the tour switched a calendar based season in 2007... |
Metmar Highveld Classic | 5 strokes | Desvonde Botes Desvonde Botes Desvonde Pierre Botes is a South African professional golfer.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, Botes turned professional at the start of 1992... , Doug McGuiganDoug McGuigan Douglas Gordon McGuigan is a professional golfer from South Africa. He has won four times on the Sunshine Tour between 2003 and 2009.McGuigan was born in Durban, and currently resides in Johannesburg... , Brandon PietersBrandon Pieters Brandon Paul Pieters is an South African professional golfer.Pieters was born in Germiston, Gauteng. He turned professional in 1994 and has played on the Sunshine Tour since then. His best finish on the Order of Merit came in 2008 when he finished in 32nd... |
|
| 4 | 30 Oct 2011 2011 Sunshine Tour The 2011 Sunshine Tour is the 12th season of professional golf tournaments since the southern Africa based Sunshine Tour was relaunched in 2000, and the 5th since the tour switched a calendar based season in 2007... |
BMG Classic BMG Classic The BMG Classic is a golf tournament on the Southern Africa based Sunshine Tour. It was founded in 2008 after title sponsors Bearing Man Group ended their long-standing relationship with the Highveld Classic.-Winners:... |
Playoff | Dawie Van der Walt |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2009 |
|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
CUT |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied for place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
See also
- 2007 European Tour Qualifying School graduates2007 European Tour Qualifying School graduatesThis is a list of the 32 players who earned their 2009 European Tour card through Q School in 2008.*Players in yellow were 2008 European Tour rookies.-2008 Results:T = Tied...
- 2009 European Tour Qualifying School graduates2009 European Tour Qualifying School GraduatesThis is a list of the 31 players who earned their 2010 European Tour card through Q School in 2009.*Players in yellow were 2010 European Tour rookies.-2010 Results:T = Tied...
- List of African golfers