Bobby Locke Festival at Parkview Golf Club

The event commemorates the late Arthur D’Arcy (Bobby) Locke, whose four British Open Championships between 1949 and 1957, and numerous other wins in Europe and the United States, made him undeniably the second most accomplished golfer South Africa has produced.

“Many people argue that although he won fewer golf majors than Gary Player, he was generally the country’s best exponent of the sport,” said club director Jerry Fraser.

His success internationally distinguished him as the first great non-British, non-American player.

In all, Gary Locke won more than 80 tournaments around the world, amazing his opponents equally with his slinging-iron hook shots and his wizardry on the greens.

Veteran Parkview members remember Locke as having a bizarre personality and an unorthodox style. He never lost his temper or expressed annoyance and was described as cool, shrewd and imperturbable.

In 1987, Bobby Locke died at the age of 69 in Johannesburg.

Sponsors, club members and captains from various golf clubs were hosted over the five-day festival, which culminated in the Bobby Locke invitational that featured over 100 of the country’s top young amateurs in a 36-hole championship.

Krugersdorp golfer, Darin de Smidt won Parkview Golf Club’s Bobby Locke Invitational on the weekend with a 36-hole score of 146,

finishing five shots ahead of Brynn Flanagan, Jarred Miltz and Jason Froneman.