• Gary Player
  • The Man
  • The Golfer
  • The Majors
  • The Victories
• Golf Course Design
  • Company Profile
  • Technical Services
  • Marketing Services
  • Project Listing
• Real Estate Services
  • Our Company
  • Our Approach
  • Our Style
  • Our Projects
• Other Sites
  • Gary Player Invitational
  • Gary Player Design
  • Gary Player Calendar
  • Gary Player Stud
• Other Sites
  • PLAYER Magazine
  • Player Wine
  • Player Real Estate
  • Player Brothers

• Home
• Event Information
• Sponsors
• News
• Photography
• Contact
• See All Events »

Player Profiles: George Coetzee

An avid sportsman, George Coetzee grew up playing tennis player, but he switched to golf at the age of 10 as he found tennis too boring, having to play on the same court every day. He won the first junior tournament he ever played in, carding a score of 49 in nine holes, and finished fourth and eighth in his two visits to the Callaway Junior World Championship.

He spent a semester at the University of San Diego, but not adjusting, Coetzee returned to South Africa to concentrate on the local amateur circuit. Having achieved and maintained a top 10 amateur ranking at the end of 2006, he entered the Sunshine Tour’s Qualifying School where he claimed the second card on offer.

After top five finishes at the Zambia Open, Swazi Open and Vodacom Origins of Golf series at his home course, Pretoria Country Club, Coetzee broke into the winner’s circle in his rookie season with victory in the Origins event at Selborne Country Club. He finished his rookie season ranked 16th on the final Order of Merit.

Coetzee doubled up on Sunshine Tour titles in 2008, winning the SAA Pro-Am Invitational at Paarl Golf Club and the Vodacom Origins at Humewood Golf Club. He collected five top 10 finishes en route to a 20th place ranking for the season.
In the 2009 season, Coetzee competed at home, but also earned his card for the Asian Tour where finished the season ranked 94th. Having played only seven events, with his best a tie for sixth at the Telkom PGA Championship, Coetzee slipped to 55th on the final Order of Merit.

A runner up finish at the Telkom PGA Championship and a tie for fifth at the Coca-Cola Championship hosted by Gary Player helped him to 24th on the final Sunshine Tour money list last year, but a 126th ranking in the Race to Dubai saw him return to the European Qualifying School at the end of 2010. He claimed the 21st card on offer, but unlike the 2010 season, where he managed only two top 10 finishes, Coetzee lived up to his early promise in 2011.
In South Africa, he finally broke through to claim the Telkom PGA Championship at Woodmead in February which saw him launch to 217th in the world rankings. In Europe, he enjoyed seven top 10 finishes, including three third place finishes (Portugal Masters, BMW International and Barclays Scottish Open) and second at the Johnnie Walker Championship. He currently ranks 26th on the Race to Dubai with earnings well over €800,000 and his third place in Portugal saw him break the top 100 mark. He currently ranks 92nd in the world.

Coetzee says reading Don’t Choke by Gary Player was one of his inspirations for his incredible season. Off the course, Coetzee is an avid Liverpool supporter and doesn’t miss the chance to see his heroes, Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard in action.