The Nelson Mandela Invitational was a charity 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....

 tournament conceptualised by Marc Player, CEO of Black Knight International, which took place annually in South Africa

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...

 from 2000 until 2006. It was named in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...

, and hosted by South Africa's most successful professional golfer Gary Player

Gary Player

Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...

. Player and Mandela appeared at the event almost every year to accept proceeds on behalf of the Children's Fund and the Player Foundation who were equal beneficiaries.

The field was made up of eight teams of four, each consisting of a senior professional, a regular tour professional, a celebrity and a businessman. The teams competed for the Alliance Medal, in which the best two scores of the four players counted on each hole. From 2002, a second better-ball competition for the professionals was staged, with the best score of the two counting on each hole.

Virtually all of South Africa's top players have taken part including Ernie Els

Ernie Els

Theodore 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...

, Retief Goosen

Retief Goosen

Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S...

, Rory Sabbatini

Rory Sabbatini

Rory Mario Trevor Sabbatini is a South African professional golfer.Rory Sabbatini was born in Durban, South Africa. He started playing golf at age 4, but concentrated on it from age 12. He was recruited by the University of Arizona, turned professional in 1998 and joined the PGA Tour in 1999...

, Trevor Immelman

Trevor Immelman

Trevor John Immelman is a South African professional golfer and winner of the 2008 Masters Tournament.-Early years:Immelman was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Born into a golfing family , he took up golf at the age of five. He attended Hottentots Holland High School...

, as well as some well known players from overseas, such as Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus

Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...

, Bob Charles

Bob Charles (golfer)

Sir Robert James Charles, ONZ, KNZM, CBE is a New Zealand professional golfer whose achievements over five decades rank him among the most successful left-handed golfers of all time, being the first lefty to win a golf major, winning more than 70 titles, and beating his age twice during a...

, Darren Clarke

Darren Clarke

Darren Christopher Clarke is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the European Tour and has previously played on the PGA Tour. He has won 22 tournaments worldwide on a number of golf's main tours including the European Tour, the PGA Tour, the Sunshine Tour and the...

, Angel Cabrera, Sam Torrance

Sam Torrance

Sam Torrance OBE is a Scottish professional golfer and sports commentator. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1970s to the late 1990s, with 21 Tour wins. Torrance was a member of European Ryder Cup teams on eight occasions, from 1981 to 1995 consecutively; he was...

 and Lee Westwood

Lee Westwood

Lee John Westwood OBE is an English professional golfer. Noted for his consistency, Westwood is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on every major continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He was named player of the year for the 1998, 2000, and 2009 seasons...

. Some of the professionals have been women, for example, Catrin Nilsmark, Sandra Gal

Sandra Gal

Sandra Gal is a German professional golfer who currently plays on the United States–based LPGA Tour.-Childhood, college and amateur career:...

, Sally Little

Sally Little

Sally Little is a professional golfer. She originally had South African nationality, but became a United States citizen in August 1982....

 and Ashleigh Simon

Ashleigh Simon

Ashleigh Ann Simon is a South African professional golfer.Simon had a successful amateur career. She was the youngest player to win the ladies’ South African Amateur Stroke Play and Match Play double and the first player in 101 years to win the Ladies South African Open title three times...

. The celebrities have also included a mixture of South Africans and overseas names like Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...

, Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker

Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...

, Nigel Mansell

Nigel Mansell

Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...

, Frankie Fredericks

Frankie Fredericks

Frank Fredericks is a former athlete from Namibia. Running in the 100 metres and 200 metres, he won four silver medals at the Olympic Games , making him Namibia's first and so far only Olympic medalist...

 and Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...

. The event raised over 25 million South African rand

South African rand

The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...

. There is prize money for the professionals, but it is modest by the standards of professional golf, and in general it has also been donated it to charities.

The event came to a close just prior to the 2007 edition, following the withdrawal of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund

Nelson Mandela Children's Fund

The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund is a charitable organization founded by Nelson Mandela, based in South Africa. Its mission is to help individuals from birth to age 22, particularly orphans of the AIDS crisis.-History:...

 citing unsubstantiated concerns over Gary Player's involvement with the design of a golf course in Burma. It has since continued as the Gary Player Invitational.

Both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...

 subsequently accepted Gary Player's position and statement on Burma and requested that the event continue, however the Children's Fund CEO refused to do so and thus forfeited on the name and future charitable funds raised through the tournament.

However, the event being owned by Black Knight International, was kept alive with the South African leg of the Gary Player Invitational series of charity events, which adopted the same format from 2008, with the 2007 winners being retrospectively classified in the Alliance and Betterball medals.

In 2009 it raised a record R5.2 million and in 2010 the event celebrates Fancourt Links courses 10th anniversary. All funds are distributed amongst several underprivileged children's charities including The Gary Player Foundation.

Alliance Medal (pro am)

Gary Player Invitational

Year	Winners
2010	John Cook John Cook (golfer) John Neuman Cook is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour.... , Sergio García Sergio García Sergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings... , Sinead Kenny, Dwight Yorke Dwight Yorke Dwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland...
2009	Thomas Aiken Thomas Aiken Thomas Edward Aiken is a South African professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.Following a successful amateur career, which included being named the South African Amateur of the Year in 2001, Aiken turned professional at the start of 2002. In 2004, he won three times on the Sunshine... , 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... , DJ Spoony DJ Spoony DJ Spoony is the stage name of Johnathan Joseph who is a British DJ, and former BBC Radio 1 presenter.-Radio and Dj career:... , Abdullah Al Naboodah
2008	Retief Goosen Retief Goosen Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S... , Costantino Rocca Costantino Rocca Costantino Rocca is the most successful male golfer that Italy has produced. After a long career on the European Tour he is now playing on the European Seniors Tour. He has five European Tour wins and is best known for his second place finish in the 1995 Open Championship.-Career outline:Rocca... , Ines Sastre Inés Sastre Inés Sastre is a Spanish model and actress.-Early life:Sastre's career started at the age of 12, when she was selected for a fast-food commercial with McDonald's. Her first movie appearance occurred in 1988 in El Dorado by Carlos Saura. In 1989, she was awarded the look of the year by the Elite... , Alan Pearson
2007	Luke Donald Luke Donald Luke Campbell Donald is an English professional golfer who is the current World Number One. He plays mainly on the U.S. based PGA Tour but is also a member of the European Tour. In 2006 he reached the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career. In January 2007, he... , Sally Little Sally Little Sally Little is a professional golfer. She originally had South African nationality, but became a United States citizen in August 1982.... , Alex Maditsi, Marc Player

Nelson Mandela Invitational

Year	Winners
2006	Sandy Lyle Sandy Lyle Alexander Walter Barr "Sandy" Lyle, MBE is a Scottish professional golfer. Lyle has won two major championships during his career. Along with Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, he became one of Britain's top golfers during the 1980s... , Omar Sandys, Ashleigh Simon Ashleigh Simon Ashleigh Ann Simon is a South African professional golfer.Simon had a successful amateur career. She was the youngest player to win the ladies’ South African Amateur Stroke Play and Match Play double and the first player in 101 years to win the Ladies South African Open title three times... , David Lyons
2005	Gary Player Gary Player Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six... , Trevor Immelman Trevor Immelman Trevor John Immelman is a South African professional golfer and winner of the 2008 Masters Tournament.-Early years:Immelman was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Born into a golfing family , he took up golf at the age of five. He attended Hottentots Holland High School... , Ahmad Rashād Ahmad Rashad Ahmad Rashād is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. An All-American running back and wide receiver from Oregon known as Bobby Moore, Rashad was the fourth overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals... , Alex Maditsi
2004	Lee Westwood Lee Westwood Lee John Westwood OBE is an English professional golfer. Noted for his consistency, Westwood is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on every major continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He was named player of the year for the 1998, 2000, and 2009 seasons... , Simon Hobday Simon Hobday Simon Hobday is a South African professional golfer who has won tournaments on three continents.Hobday was born in Mafikeng. He turned professional in 1969. 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... , Inés Sastre Inés Sastre Inés Sastre is a Spanish model and actress.-Early life:Sastre's career started at the age of 12, when she was selected for a fast-food commercial with McDonald's. Her first movie appearance occurred in 1988 in El Dorado by Carlos Saura. In 1989, she was awarded the look of the year by the Elite... , Doug Jackson
2003	Lee Westwood Lee Westwood Lee John Westwood OBE is an English professional golfer. Noted for his consistency, Westwood is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on every major continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He was named player of the year for the 1998, 2000, and 2009 seasons... , Simon Hobday Simon Hobday Simon Hobday is a South African professional golfer who has won tournaments on three continents.Hobday was born in Mafikeng. He turned professional in 1969. 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... , Mark Boucher Mark Boucher Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and... , Carl Ware Carl Ware Carl Ware is an American businessman and a retired Executive Vice-President of The Coca Cola Company.Ware holds a Bachelor's degree in political science from Clark Atlanta University, a Master's degree in Public Administration from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the...
2002	Hugh Baiocchi Hugh Baiocchi Hugh John Baiocchi is a South African professional golfer who has won more than twenty professional tournaments around the world.... , Deane Pappas Deane Pappas Deane Pappas is a South African professional golfer. He has won twice on both the Southern Africa based Sunshine Tour and on the second-tier United States based BUY.COM Tour, now the Nationwide Tour.... , Gary Lineker Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live... , Dave King
2001	Simon Hobday Simon Hobday Simon Hobday is a South African professional golfer who has won tournaments on three continents.Hobday was born in Mafikeng. He turned professional in 1969. 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... , Martin Maritz, Nick Mallet, Doug Jackson
2000	Gary Player Gary Player Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six... , Don Gammon, Julius Erving Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim.... , Dave King

Betterball Medal (professionals)

Gary Player Invitational

Year	Winners
2010	John Cook John Cook (golfer) John Neuman Cook is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour....  and Sergio García Sergio García Sergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
2009	Ángel Cabrera Angel Cabrera Ángel Cabrera is an Argentine professional golfer who plays on both the European Tour and PGA Tour. He is known affectionately as "El Pato" in Spanish or in English as "The duck" for his waddling gait. He is a former U.S. Open champion and Masters champion. He is the first Argentine to win either...  and Tony Johnstone Tony Johnstone Anthony Alastair Johnstone is a Zimbabwean professional golfer.Johnstone was born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia and attended Christian Brothers College. He lives in Sunningdale in England. He turned professional in 1979 and has spent his career playing mainly on the Southern African Sunshine Tour and in...
2008	Bobby Lincoln Bobby Lincoln Robert James Lincoln is a South African professional golfer who was a regular winner on the Southern African Tour from 1985 to 2000, and now plays on the European Seniors Tour....  and Garth Mulroy Garth Mulroy Garth David Mulroy is a South African professional golfer.Mulroy was born in Durban. He attended college in the United States at North Carolina State University, where he was an NCAA Division I All-American...
2007	Sally Little Sally Little Sally Little is a professional golfer. She originally had South African nationality, but became a United States citizen in August 1982....  and Luke Donald Luke Donald Luke Campbell Donald is an English professional golfer who is the current World Number One. He plays mainly on the U.S. based PGA Tour but is also a member of the European Tour. In 2006 he reached the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career. In January 2007, he...

Nelson Mandela Invitational

Year	Winners
2006	Bobby Lincoln Bobby Lincoln Robert James Lincoln is a South African professional golfer who was a regular winner on the Southern African Tour from 1985 to 2000, and now plays on the European Seniors Tour....  and Retief Goosen Retief Goosen Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S...
2005	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...  and Tim Clark
2004	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...  and Ernie Els Ernie Els Theodore 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...
2003	Lee Westwood Lee Westwood Lee John Westwood OBE is an English professional golfer. Noted for his consistency, Westwood is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on every major continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He was named player of the year for the 1998, 2000, and 2009 seasons...  and Simon Hobday Simon Hobday Simon Hobday is a South African professional golfer who has won tournaments on three continents.Hobday was born in Mafikeng. He turned professional in 1969. 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...
2002	Hugh Baiocchi Hugh Baiocchi Hugh John Baiocchi is a South African professional golfer who has won more than twenty professional tournaments around the world....  and Deane Pappas Deane Pappas Deane Pappas is a South African professional golfer. He has won twice on both the Southern Africa based Sunshine Tour and on the second-tier United States based BUY.COM Tour, now the Nationwide Tour....
2001	Simon Hobday Simon Hobday Simon Hobday is a South African professional golfer who has won tournaments on three continents.Hobday was born in Mafikeng. He turned professional in 1969. 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...  and Martin Maritz
2000	Retief Goosen Retief Goosen Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S...  and Allan Henning Allan Henning Allan Henning is a former professional golfer from South Africa.Henning won 10 tournaments on the South African Sunshine Tour between 1963 and 1980. His biggest win was the South African Open when it was played twice in 1963...

External links

• Gary Player Invitational – South Africa (Past Results)