Chris Williams (South African golfer)

Christopher Gary Williams (born 20 March 1959) is an English-born golfer who currently lives in South Africa. Williams has won seven times on the Sunshine Tour.

Chris Williams
Personal information
Full nameChristopher Gary Williams
NicknameThe Ginger Cat
Born (1959-03-20) 20 March 1959 (age 65)
Bebington, Cheshire, England
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight78 kg (172 lb; 12.3 st)
Sporting nationality England
 South Africa
ResidenceEdenvale, South Africa
Career
Turned professional1978
Current tour(s)European Senior Tour
Former tour(s)European Tour
Asian Tour
Sunshine Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins17
Number of wins by tour
Asian Tour2
Sunshine Tour7
European Senior Tour3
Other5
Achievements and awards
Asian PGA Tour
Players' Player of the Year
1998

Early life

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Williams was born in Liverpool, England. He moved to Johannesburg, South Africa in his late teens.

Professional career

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In 1978, Williams turned professional, shortly after moving to South Africa. He joined the Southern Africa Tour in 1985, and won his first title, the Lexington PGA Championship, during his debut season. He has won six more events on the Sunshine Tour since then.

Williams joined the European Senior Tour on turning 50, having secured conditional playing rights at the 2008 qualifying school. He won for the first time as a senior in March 2011 at the Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters.[1]

Amateur wins

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  • 1977/78 Junior Springbok

Professional wins (17)

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Asian PGA Tour wins (2)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 16 Aug 1998 Volvo Masters of Malaysia −9 (71-68-71-69=279) Playoff   Zaw Moe,   Adrian Percey
2 25 Oct 1998 FedEx PGA Championship −11 (70-66-69-72=277) 1 stroke   Ted Purdy

Asian PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 1998 Volvo Masters of Malaysia   Zaw Moe,   Adrian Percey Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
Percey eliminated by par on first hole

Sunshine Tour wins (7)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 19 Jan 1985 Lexington PGA Championship −8 (71-70-63-68=272) 1 stroke   Mark McNulty,   Jay Townsend,
  Denis Watson
2 14 Jan 1989 ICL International −16 (64-68-69-71=272) 1 stroke   J. C. Anderson
3 20 Nov 1994 Zimbabwe Open −16 (65-68-70-69=272) Playoff   Andrew Pitts
4 6 Jun 1996 FNB Pro Series (Swaziland) −12 (70-66-68=204) 2 strokes   Michael Green
5 30 Nov 1996 Leopard Rock Classic −6 (72-68-67=207) 1 stroke   Adilson da Silva
6 27 Jan 2002 Telkom PGA Championship (2) −17 (74-64-65-68=271) 2 strokes   Hennie Otto
7 4 Oct 2003 Seekers Travel Pro-Am −13 (71-67-65=203) Playoff   Jason Jackson,   Ashley Roestoff

Sunshine Tour playoff record (2–2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1989 Lexington PGA Championship   Tony Johnstone Lost to birdie on first extra hole
2 1994 Zimbabwe Open   Andrew Pitts Won with birdie on first extra hole
3 2002 Vodacom Golf Classic   Ashley Roestoff Lost to eagle on first extra hole
4 2003 Seekers Travel Pro-Am   Jason Jackson,   Ashley Roestoff

Other wins (5)

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  • 1983 Telkom Open (South Africa)
  • 1985 Swaziland Open
  • 1991 PX Celebrity Pro-Am (with Justin Hobday), Telephone Manufacturers SA Trophy
  • 2007 Royal Swazi Sun Touring Pro-Am (non-Order of Merit event on the Sunshine Tour)

European Senior Tour wins (3)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 6 Mar 2011 Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters −12 (68-69-64=201) 1 stroke   Choi Sang-ho
2 18 Mar 2017 Sharjah Senior Golf Masters −13 (65-70-68=203) Playoff   Gary Marks
3 20 Jun 2021 Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship −9 (69-68-70=207) 3 strokes   Phillip Price

European Senior Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2017 Sharjah Senior Golf Masters   Gary Marks Won with par on first extra hole

References

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  1. ^ "Williams wins by one in Brunei". Miami Herald. The Sports Network. 6 March 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
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