Jean looking to climb top five all-time winners list

When Jean Hugo won last year’s Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament at San Lameer on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, he drew level with Ernie Els for the total number of victories on the Sunshine Tour.

It was his 16th victory on the Sunshine Tour, and he went on to surpass that total when he won the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Parys’ Vaal de Grace, joining Tony Johnstone on 17 victories. And while he has a long way to go to match Gary Player’s 73 victories, he is the most successful golfer currently active on the local circuit.

Also ahead of Hugo on the list are Mark McNulty with 33 wins, the legendary Bobby Locke (30), eight-time winner of the South African Open Championship Sid Brews (26), and John Bland (21).

With six Vodacom Origins of Golf events on the Sunshine Tour’s schedule this year, it is not inconceivable that Hugo will add to his 17 titles and move closer to the top five on the list of all-time winners.

That’s because he has made a habit of winning on that series, with the first of 11 victories in it coming back in 2006 at Arabella Golf Club in the Western Cape.

In 2011, he dominated the series, winning three times – at Pretoria Country Club, Simola Golf and Country Estate, and at the final at Legend Golf and Safari Resort.

He has taken home over R950 000 just in first-place prize money from the series, which is a tenth of his career prize money on the Sunshine Tour.The first event of the 2016 series kicks off on Thursday 28 July at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club.
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