The Republic of South Africa, located at the southern tip of Africa along the Atlantic and Indian oceans, has held its own on the world golf stage and at the many events held at Firestone Country Club over the years.
Louis Oosthuizen is merely the latest South African golfer to impress in the sport, as the British Open champ will make his first appearance at Firestone in this week's WGC-Bridgestone.SOUTH AFRICANS AT THE BRIDGESTONE
Tim Clark
Age: 34; Hometown: Durban
Best Firestone finsh: Tied for sixth, 2007 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
World ranking: 23.
Notable: Won his first Tour event earlier this year, capturing The Players Championship. Prior to that he had seven runner-up finishes, including the 2006 Masters.
Ernie Els
Age: 40; Hometown: Johannesburg.
Best Firestone finish: 5th in 1999 NEC Invitational.
World ranking: Seventh.
Notable: Like World Golf Hall of Famer and fellow countryman Gary Player, Els truly is an international competitor with more than 50 wins worldwide. Has won three majors.
Retief Goosen
Age: 41; Hometown: Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg).
Best Firestone finish: Tied for fourth, 2008 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
World ranking: 16th.
Notable: After winning six times on the PGA Tour and 22 times worldwide, he went almost four years without a victory until the 2009 Transitions Championship.
James Kingston
Age: 44; Hometown: Ottosdal.
Best Firestone finish: 78th in 2008 WGC-Bridgestone.
World ranking: 112.
Notable: Became the oldest winner on the European Tour when he won the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship.
Louis Oosthuizen
Age: 27; Hometown: Mossel Bay.
Best Firestone finish: First appearance.
World ranking: 16th.
Notable: Went from virtual unknown to star status by winning the British Open. Best finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for 20th in last year’s WGC-CA Championship.
Hennie Otto
Age: 34; Hometown: Boksburg.
Best Firestone finish: Tied for 77th in 2003 WGC-Bridgestone.
World ranking: 230.
Notable: A veteran of the European Tour, he has won nine times since 1991 on the Sunshine Tour, played in South Africa.
Charl Schwartzel
Age: 25; Hometown: Verceeniging.
Best Firestone finish: Tied for 36th in 2006 WGC-Bridgestone.
World ranking: 28th.
Notable: Regarded as the next big star from South Africa. Was second in the WGC-CA Championship, tied for third in the Houston Open, tied for 30th in the Masters (after an opening 69) and tied for 16th in the U.S. Open.
— Tim Rogers
• Bridgestone spectator/ticket information
AKRON, Ohio -- It started with Gary Player and has been maintained by players such as Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and most recently, Louis Oosthuizen.
The Republic of South Africa, located at the southern tip of Africa along the Atlantic and Indian oceans, has held its own on the world golf stage and at the many events held at Firestone Country Club over the years. The country will be well represented when the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational is held this week on the South Course.
Will the Summer of South Africa continue? Will any of the country's seven players scheduled to play here be able to enhance the warm and fuzzy feeling stemming from a successful presentation of the World Cup, which was cranked up a notch when the relatively unknown Oosthuizen won the British Open?
At Firestone, Els, Goosen and Oosthuizen will be joined by fellow countrymen Tim Clark, young Charl Schwartzel and lesser-known Hennie Otto and James Kingston. All have been successful in Europe and have spent some time in the U.S. This from a country that is the 25th largest in the world with a population of approximately 49 million, but where golf ranks a distant fourth in popularity behind soccer, rugby and cricket.
Player won three times at Firestone -- the 1965, 1968 and 1972 World Series of Golf and Fulton Allem won the 1993 NEC World Series of Golf. Els has finished as high as fifth and is currently the leading money winner on Tour and the FedEx Cup points leader.
How has the RSA been able to produce so many successful golfers? Player, a World Golf Hall of Famer, offered three reasons.
"We have always had strong youth programs in South Africa and this has certainly helped develop the current crop of our top players," Player said in an e-mail interview. "And, we have over 300 sunshine days of weather per annum, which also helps."
More significantly, Player pointed to what beats underneath the golf shirt.
"Our young players are not spoiled and do not have an attitude of entitlement," he said. "They are tough and know they have to work hard to compete overseas."
South Africans also point to the Ernie Els Foundation, formed in 1999 and designed to help disadvantaged children. The South African Junior Golf Foundation is 50 years old. The American Junior Golf Association is in its 32nd year.
"However, there has been a trend of kids starting to play the game at a much younger age and golf clubs are allowing kids to join at a much younger age," said Dennis Bruyns, Chief Executive of the PGA of South Africa, also via e-mail. "Children play a wide variety of sports at school in South Africa, ensuring that they are physically literate from a young age, giving them the fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination necessary to excel at a sport like golf."
Bruyns credits both organizations for the development of Goosen, Els, Clark, Schwartzel and Rory Sabbatini. Oosthuizen's victory at St. Andrews was met with profound pride by many South Africans, according to one life-long resident.
"Oosthuizen is for now, pretty much a household name amongst the sporting-mad South African public," said Neil Cloete, also via e-mail.
As for the success at Firestone, Player did not have an answer.
"I always enjoyed coming to Firestone and have fond memories of the tournament and especially the fans," he said. "It's difficult to say why South Africans have played well at Firestone. It is just one of those tournaments and courses where we seem to excel."