George Coetzee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George Coetzee
Coetzee at the 2011 BMW International Open
Personal information
Full name	George William Coetzee
Born	(1986-07-18) 18 July 1986 (age 38) Pretoria, South Africa
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	95 kg (209 lb; 15.0 st)
Nationality	South Africa
Residence	Pretoria, South Africa
Career
Turned professional	2007
Current tour(s)	Sunshine Tour
Former tour(s)	European Tour Canadian Tour
Professional wins	16
Number of wins by tour
European Tour	5
Asian Tour	1
Sunshine Tour	14
Other	1
Best results in Major Championships
The Masters Tournament	CUT: 2013
U.S. Open	T56: 2013
The Open Championship	15th: 2011
PGA Championship	T7: 2015
Achievements and awards
Sunshine Tour Order of Merit winner	2015, 2017–18

George William Coetzee (born 18 July 1986) is a professional golfer from South Africa. He has won five tournaments on the European Tour and 14 on the Sunshine Tour. He has also been the top player on the Sunshine Tour's Order of Merit twice.

Early Life and Golf Beginnings

George Coetzee was born in Pretoria, South Africa. He finished high school in 2004. George started playing golf when he was 10 years old. He won his very first junior tournament, scoring 49 in just 9 holes. He also placed well in the Callaway Junior World Championship in San Diego. He even studied at the University of San Diego for a short time. George became a professional golfer in 2007.

Professional Golf Career

After becoming a professional, George Coetzee joined the Sunshine Tour in 2007. He won his first tournament during his very first year. This win was at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour event at Selborne. He won two more times a year later at the SAA Pro-Am Invitational and another Vodacom Origins of Golf event.

In 2010, George earned a spot on the European Tour. This is a major golf tour in Europe. He had to go back to qualifying school at the end of that year to keep his spot. He got his playing rights back for 2011. That year, he came in second place at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. He lost in a playoff against four other players. He also had three third-place finishes and eight top-10 finishes overall. George ended the season ranked 26th on the Race to Dubai, which is the European Tour's season-long competition. In 2012, he moved up to 21st on the Race to Dubai. He also reached the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

In February 2014, George won his first European Tour title. This was at the Joburg Open. He started the final round four shots behind the leader but played very well to win. In March 2015, he won his second European Tour title at the Tshwane Open. He won by just one shot. In May 2015, George won his second tournament of the year. This was at the first-ever AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. He won in a sudden-death playoff against another golfer, Thorbjørn Olesen. He also won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit that season. This means he was the top player on the Sunshine Tour for the year.

In February 2016, George won the Dimension Data Pro-Am. He finished with three amazing shots (a birdie, another birdie, and an eagle) to win by one stroke. In the 2017–18 season, George won his second Sunshine Tour Order of Merit title. During this time, he won the Tshwane Open again. This was his fourth European Tour victory.

In September 2020, George Coetzee won his fifth European Tour tournament. This was at the Portugal Masters. It was his first win in mainland Europe. It was also his first European Tour win that was not also part of the Sunshine Tour.

Amateur Wins

• 2006 Northern Amateur Open

Professional Wins Summary

George Coetzee has won 16 professional tournaments.

• European Tour: 5 wins
• Asian Tour: 1 win (this win was also part of the European and Sunshine Tours)
• Sunshine Tour: 14 wins (some of these were also part of the European and Asian Tours)
• Other Wins: 1 win

Major Championship Results

George Coetzee has played in golf's biggest tournaments, called major championships.

     Top 10      Did not play CUT = missed the half-way cut (did not play the final two rounds)
"T" = tied for that position
NT = No tournament (due to the COVID-19 pandemic)

Team Appearances

George Coetzee has also represented South Africa in team golf events:

• World Cup: 2013, 2016