Veteran golf writer Grant Winter looks back to the Million Dollar’s “old days” when three Southern Africans all enjoyed a hat-trick of victories.
1989
The estimated 60,000 fans who packed Sun City over the four days were rewarded by the spectacle of “local boy” David Frost snatching first prize of $1-million (about R2,6-million in those days so how things have changed currency-wise!) from a sparkling line-up of overseas challengers.
Interviewed after his victory Frost said that playing in front of his home crowd, who dubbed him King David, played a big part in his victory. Then, overcome with emotion, the tears started flowing. “I’ll never be able to accurately describe how it felt out there, with all those fans behind me. It was wonderful, just too wonderful.”
Frost also revealed that after consulting with coach David Leadbetter on the telephone to America he had one key thought in mind right throughout the tournament – to keep his left arm close to his body thus avoiding a “flying” left elbow.
“That’s what I thought about all the way round, even when I was walking from tee to green. It worked, and I just kept on swinging well. En route to his three victories, “Frostie” scored 276 in 1989, 284 in 1990 and 276 in 1992.
1998
This was as good as it gets. It was excruciatingly close. Perhaps it was the most exciting year of all at Sun City.
It finally came down to the defending champion Nick Price rolling in a pressure-packed 10-footer for birdie at the fifth hole of a sudden-death playoff to beat 22-year-old world No 1 Tiger Woods.
“I don’t know if ever I’ll be able to top this one,” said Price after his heart-stopping victory. This was his third win in this event following a record-breaking effort in 1993, when he closed with a mesmerising 63 for a 72-hole aggregate of 264, and his 271 of 1997.
In 1998 Price and Woods totalled 273 – 15-under-par – with Tiger making birdies at the last two holes of regulation (knocking in a 15-footer at 17 and chipping in at 18 from about 20 feet) to take play into extra time, amid thunderous applause from the massive gallery.
With tension mounting the two players then halved the first four holes of sudden-death, before Price dropped his Million Dollar putt at the 17th for birdie and victory.
“It was punch and counter-punch. Tiger’s 22 years old, 19 years younger than me, and his nerves aren’t frayed like mine. And whereas I’ve got a great future behind me, he’s got a great future ahead of him,” said Zimbabwe golf’s Mr Nice Guy with a smile. Nick certainly got that prediction right.
1999
“Anything Nick Price can do I can do better!” Ernie Els might not have actually said these words, but he did exactly that – firing rounds of 67, 66, 64 and 66 for a 25-under-par total of 263, which eclipsed by one the previous scoring record of Price’s set just 12 months earlier. Nicky’s 264 was a record few imagined would ever be beaten.
“Golf can be a confidence thing and for the last 10 months – since I won the Los Angeles Open in February, I’d lacked a bit of self-belief and hadn’t been at my very best,” Els admitted after his first win in the Million since making his Sun City debut in 1992.
“So I wanted to win this tournament just because it had eluded me for seven long years. I wanted to prove a point and, goodness, I owed my local fans one. They’ve stuck with me for years.”
And Ernie’s Army would continue to stick with them in their tens of thousands as the Big Easy entered his own Sun City golden era. He won again the following year, edging out Lee Westwood in sudden-death after the pair had tied on 268, and in 2002. Consider this remarkable record: In seven starts in the Nedbank between 1996 and 2002, Ernie won three times (2000 and 2002 were his other successes ) and was runner-up on another three occasions (losing, in play-offs, to Colin Montgomerie in 1996 and Sergio Garcia in 2001). In those seven starts he was under par for 28 straight rounds, and that added up to a remarkable 110-under in total. Wow, wow, wow.
More wows this year? Let's hope so.