The Zimbabwe Open is a 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 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...

. It was first played in 1984 and was part of what was known as the Safari Tour, a collection of events in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 that were played by professionals

Professional golfer

In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...

 based on the European Tour during their winter. As a result, it became an event on the European based Challenge Tour

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...

 in 1991, where it remained for two seasons before moving onto the FNB Summer Tour, which became the Southern Africa Tour and later the Sunshine Tour.

As it was held in the weeks preceding the Nedbank Golf Challenge

Nedbank Golf Challenge

The Nedbank Golf Challenge is an annual men's professional golf tournament played at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, North West province, South Africa. It is not an official money event for any of the major tours, and like many high profile unofficial tournaments in professional golf it...

, the tournament attracted some of the worlds leading players, as they used it as a warm up to the big money invitational. Past winners include major

Men's major golf championships

The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...

 winners Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...

 and Nick Price

Nick Price

Nicholas Raymond Leige Price is a South African-Zimbabwean Professional golfer and an inductee in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.-Background:...

, who along with Mark McNulty

Mark McNulty

Mark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...

 is most successful player at the event, both men having recorded three victories. Ryder Cup player Gordon J Brand is also a past winner.

Since its cancellation prior to the 2002 edition due to economic instability in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

 leading to the withdrawal of sponsors, there have been many attempts to resurrect the Zimbabwe Open, but none were successful until 2010.

Winners

Year	Venue	Winner	Score
Africom Zimbabwe Open
2011	Royal Harare Golf Club	Theunis Spangenberg Theunis Spangenberg Theunis Gerhardus Spangenberg is a South African professional golfer.Spangenberg plays on the Sunshine Tour, where he has one win, the 2011 Africom Zimbabwe Open.-External links:...	201 (−15)^
2010	Royal Harare Golf Club	Jbe' Kruger Jbe' Kruger James Barry "Jbe'" Kruger is a South African professional golfer who plays on the Sunshine Tour.Kruger was born in Kimberley, Northern Cape. He turned professional in 2007....	269 (−19)
CABS Old Mutual Zimbabwe Open
2002–09	No tournament
2001	Chapman Golf Club	Darren Fichardt Darren Fichardt Darren Clive Fichardt is a South African professional golfer.Fichardt was born in Pretoria and grew up in Centurion, Gauteng. He attended Sutherland High School from 1988 to 1993, where his talent for golf was nurtured...	275 (−13)
2000	Royal Harare Golf Club	Mark McNulty Mark McNulty Mark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...	269 (−19)
Zimbabwe Open
1999	Chapman Golf Club	Jean Hugo	271 (−17)
1998	Royal Harare Golf Club	Nick Price Nick Price Nicholas Raymond Leige Price is a South African-Zimbabwean Professional golfer and an inductee in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.-Background:...	271 (−17)
1997	Chapman Golf Club	Nick Price Nick Price Nicholas Raymond Leige Price is a South African-Zimbabwean Professional golfer and an inductee in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.-Background:...	269 (−19)
1996	Chapman Golf Club	Mark McNulty Mark McNulty Mark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...	270 (−18)
1995	Royal Harare Golf Club	Nick Price Nick Price Nicholas Raymond Leige Price is a South African-Zimbabwean Professional golfer and an inductee in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.-Background:...	266 (−22)
1994	Royal Harare Golf Club	Chris Williams Chris Williams (golfer) Christopher Gary Williams is a professional golfer from England who currently lived in South Africa who has won nine times on the Sunshine Tour....	272 (−16)PO
1993	Chapman Golf Club	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...	273 (−15)
1992	Royal Harare Golf Club	Mark McNulty Mark McNulty Mark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...	272 (−16)
1991	Chapman Golf Club	Keith Waters	282 (−6)PO
1990	Chapman Golf Club	Grant Turner
1989	Royal Harare Golf Club	Vijay Singh Vijay Singh Vijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...	282 (−6)
1988*	Chapman Golf Club	Roger Chapman Roger Chapman (golfer) Roger M. Chapman is an English professional golfer.Chapman was born in Nakuru, Kenya. He won the English Amateur in 1979 and represented Great Britain & Ireland in the 1981 Walker Cup, beating Hal Sutton twice in one day....	275 (−6)
1987	Royal Harare Golf Club	Gordon J. Brand Gordon J. Brand Gordon John Brand is an English professional golfer.Brand turned professional in 1976 and enjoyed full playing privileges on the European Tour for 20 years. During his time on tour, he finished inside the top 30 on the Order of Merit seven times and inside the top-100 16 times...	277 (−11)PO
1986		Stephen Bennett Stephen Bennett Stephen Bennett is an English professional golfer.Bennett was born in Cleethorpes. He turned professional in 1979 and won a place on the European Tour on his first visit to Qualifying School. He played on the Tour through much of the 1980s and 1990s, but didn't always manage to retain his tour card...
1985	Royal Harare Golf Club	Malcolm MacKenzie Malcolm MacKenzie Malcolm John MacKenzie is an English professional golfer.MacKenzie was born in Sheffield. He turned professional in 1980 and has spent most of his career playing on the European Tour. His best Order of Merit ranking was 25th in 1990, one of twelve times he made the top 100...	281 (−7)
1984		Anderson Rusike (am)

^ - Weather shortened to 54 holes.

* - Two holes were unplayable on day one.

^PO - Won after a play-off.

am - Amateur.

External links

• Sunshine Tour - official site
• European Tour - official site (includes Challenge Tour)