Golf has found a place to stay on the African continent.
This goes for Southern Africa in particular, owing to South Africa’s economic diversity and its position as the continent’s most industrialized economy. South Africa alone has 10 golfers who now rank among the top 100 internationally, coming in behind the United States, with 46, and the United Kingdom, with 11.Â
In the 103rd PGA Championship in May 2021, South Africa had a total of 11 entrants in the championship tour, with Erik Van Rooyen making it to the top five in the competition.
In a recent report, Forbes named South Africa’s top golfers in terms of earnings from the European Tour and U.S. PGA Championship.Â
The report showed that the top-10 golfers in the country have earned a career total of $134.7 million, with 64.5 percent of their earnings coming from the European Tour.
Here is a list of their career earnings so far:Â
#1 Louis Oosthuizen
Career Earnings: $52.4 million
Louis Oosthuize, a top-ranked golfer in South Africa, earned $52.4 million from the PGA Championship and European Tour.
A breakdown of his earnings indicates that he earned $26.2 million from the PGA Championship and another $26.2 million from the European Tour, making him the most successful in terms of earnings.
Forbes noted that despite his eye-watering earnings, the Mossel Bay-born player has never won on the PGA Championship, losing three times in a playoff. However, he did win The British Open in 2010.
#2 Branden Grace
Career Earnings: $27.8 million
Grace, who has consistently been a top player for years, has received total earnings of $27.8 million from the PGA Championship and European Tour.
His career earnings are split into $11.1 million earned from PGA Championship and $16.7 million from the European Tour.
In 2016, Grace won the 2016 Puerto Rico Open. In 2020, he won the South African Open. He tied for seventh at the U.S. Open this year.
#3 Charl Schwartzel
Career Earnings: $22.3 million
Charl Schwartzel, whose major triumph came in the United States when he lifted the Masters trophy in 2011, has total earnings of $22.3 million from the PGA Championship and European Tour.
The breakdown of his earnings shows that he earned a total of $1.6 million from the PGA Championship and $20.7 million from the European Tour.
#4 Dylan Frittelli
Career Earnings: $7.9 million
According to Forbes, Dylan Frittelli has total earnings of $7.9 million from the PGA Championship and European Tour.
The breakdown of his earnings shows that he earned $4.5 million from the PGA Championship and another $3.4 million from the European Tour.
Frittelli’s PGA Championship win came at the John Deere Classic in 2019, following successes on the European Tour in the Lyoness Open in Austria and the Mauritius Open.
#5 Erik Van Rooyen
Career Earnings: $6.9 million
Forbes revealed that Erik Van Rooyen’s total earnings from the PGA Championship and European Tour are $6.9 million.
He earned $1.6 million from the PGA Championship and another $5.3 million from the European Tour.
Van Rooyen is one of the most consistent contemporary golfers in South Africa. He finished fifth in the 103rd PGA Championship in May. He finished eighth at the 2019 PGA Championship.
#6 Brandon Stone
Career Earnings: $5.3 million
Brandon Stone, who has three wins in total on the European Tour, boasts total earnings of $5.3 million from the PGA Championship and European Tour.
According to Forbes, his PGA Championship earnings are $295,257 million, while his total European Tour earnings are $5.0 million.
#7 Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Career Earnings: $5.1 million
Christiaan Bezuidenhout has won three European Tour events between June 2019 and December 2020. He earned $5.1 million from the PGA Championship and European Tour.
An analysis of his earnings revealed that he earned $974,600 million from the PGA Championship and $4.1 million from the European Tour.
#8 Dean Burmester
Career Earnings: $4.0 million
Dean Burmester has earned $4.0 million in total from the PGA Championship and European Tour.
A breakdown of his earnings indicates that he earned $46.800 from the PGA Championship and another $3.9 million from the European Tour.
#9 Garrick Higgo
Career Earnings: $2.4 million
Garrick Higgo has earned $2.4 million in total from the PGA Championship and European Tour.
He received $1.3 million in total from the PGA Championship and another $1.1 million from the European Tour.
#10 Daniel Van Tonder
Career Earnings: $600,000
Daniel Van Tonder has received $31,300 from the PGA Championship and another $562,000 from the European Tour.
