Publications
Partners
Cape Town - South Africa's greatest ever sportsman, Gary Player, has sent his condolences following the death of one of the game's greatest ever characters, Simon Hobday.
Hobday passed away after a long battle with cancer on Thursday morning, the Sunshine Tour confirmed via Twitter.
He was 76.
Player took to Twitter to express sadness over the passing of his friend, saying: "My condolences to the charismatic and sweet swinging Simon Hobday. He was so good for golf. RIP amigo".
Hobday, nicknamed 'Scruffy', won 17 professional events in his career, including the 1971 SA Open.
One of his victories, the Tournament of Champions in 1985, came after a sensational final-hole shot that skimmed across a pond and landed on the green.
Hobday took off his shoes and socks, waded across the water - and claimed his last ever Sunshine Tour triumph.
Other notable wins included the 1976 German Open and the 1979 Madrid Open on the European Tour.
As a senior, the former South African golfer played mainly in the United States on the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour), where he claimed five titles between 1993 and 1995 including one senior major, the 1994 US Senior Open.
My condolences to the charismatic & sweet swinging Simon Hobday. He was so good for golf. RIP amigo pic.twitter.com/j9ZL1pVNw5
— Gary Player (@garyplayer) March 2, 2017
