Benjamin Follett-Smith (born 9 March 1994) is a Zimbabwean professional golfer who plays on the Sunshine Tour and the European Tour. He represented Zimbabwe in the 2018 World Cup of Golf and has won the Cape Town Open twice.
| Benjamin Follett-Smith | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | 9 March 1994 Harare, Zimbabwe | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  Zimbabwe | ||
| Career | |||
| College | Mississippi State University | ||
| Turned professional | 2018 | ||
| Current tour(s) | European Tour Sunshine Tour | ||
| Former tour(s) | Asian Tour Challenge Tour Big Easy Tour | ||
| Professional wins | 5 | ||
| Number of wins by tour | |||
| Sunshine Tour | 2 | ||
| Challenge Tour | 2 | ||
| Other | 2 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Early life and amateur career
editFollett-Smith was born in Harare and educated at St. John's College. He was ranked as Zimbabwe's number one amateur golfer and won the 2012 All-Africa Junior Championship, and represented Zimbabwe in the All-Africa Team Championships.[1]
Follett-Smith attended Mississippi State University from 2013 to 2017, majoring in marketing, as well as playing golf with the Mississippi State Bulldogs men's golf team.[1]
Professional career
editFollett-Smith turned professional in 2018 and joined the Sunshine Tour. In September he won Challenge 9 on the Big Easy Tour, its development circuit.
He represented Zimbabwe at the 2018 World Cup of Golf, together with Scott Vincent.[2]
In February 2020, Follett-Smith recorded a one-shot victory at the Final Stage of the Asian Tour Qualifying School.[3] However, with the 2020 and 2021 seasons largely lost to the pandemic, his first full season on the Asian Tour was 2022, where he had limited success.[4]
Follett-Smith won the Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club in 2019 and again in 2023, when the event was co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour.[5]
Amateur wins
edit- 2012 All-Africa Junior Championship
- 2016 Roland Park Open
- 2017 Chattanooga Choo Choo Invitational
Source:[6]
Professional wins (5)
editSunshine Tour wins (2)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 Feb 2019 | RAM Cape Town Open | −13 (68-69-72-66=275) | 2 strokes |  Zander Lombard, Jean-Paul Strydom
|
| 2 | 5 Feb 2023 | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open1 (2) | −15 (68-68-67-70=273) | 1 stroke |  Ugo Coussaud, Jaco van Zyl
|
1Co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour
Challenge Tour wins (2)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 Feb 2023 | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open1 | −15 (68-68-67-70=273) | 1 stroke | Ugo Coussaud, Jaco van Zyl
|
| 2 | 5 Oct 2024 | D+D Real Czech Challenge | −28 (63-62-63-64=252) | 5 strokes | Maxence Giboudot,  Oliver Lindell
|
1Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour
Big Easy Tour wins (1)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 Sep 2018 | Big Easy Challenge 9 | −7 (65-76-68=209) | 1 stroke |  Kim Dong-kwan, Ruan Korb, Cameron Moralee
|
Clutch Pro Tour wins (1)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 Jun 2020 | Notts Holinwell | −6 (66) | 1 stroke |  Andy Sullivan
|
Team appearances
editProfessional
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Men's Golf Roster: Ben Follett-Smith". Mississippi State Bulldogs. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Coley, Ben (21 November 2018). "World Cup of Golf: Team-by-team guide to this week's event in Australia". Sporting Life. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Asian Tour card excites Follett-Smith". Daily News. Zimbabwe. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Follett-Smith finishes top of the class". The Nation Thailand. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Follett-Smith wins in Cape Town to secure maiden Challenge Tour title". Gulf News. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Benjamin Follett-Smith". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
External links
edit- Benjamin Follett-Smith at the Sunshine Tour official site
- Benjamin Follett-Smith at the European Tour official site
- Benjamin Follett-Smith at the Official World Golf Ranking official site