Ivory Coast Open

The Ivory Coast Open or Open de Côte d'Ivoire was a golf tournament in the Ivory Coast. It was founded in 1980, and was an event on the Safari Circuit the following year. It was an event on the European-based Challenge Tour schedule in 1990 and 1991, and from 1996 to 1999. It has been held at President Golf Club, Yamoussoukro and Ivoire Golf Club, Abidjan.

Ivory Coast Open

Tournament information
Location	Ivory Coast
Established	1980
Course(s)	Ivoire Golf Club President Golf Club
Par	72
Tour(s)	Challenge Tour (1990–1991, 1996–1999) Safari Circuit (1980–1991)
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	€70,000[1]
Final year	1999
Final champion
Ian Poulter

The title has been won by some of the world's top golfers, including Vijay Singh, Ian Poulter, and Gary Player. The most successful player is England's Gordon J. Brand, who recorded three victories between 1981 and 1988.[1]

The tournament was revived in 2017 after an 18-year hiatus and was won by the Ghanaian golfer Vincent Torgah.[2]

History

The first event in 1980 was to inaugurate the President Golf Club, Yamoussoukro. It was an invitation event with 27 professionals competing. Yamoussoukro was the birthplace of the President, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who attended the event.[3] Gary Player and Peter Townsend tied at 265, 23 under par and nine strokes ahead of the rest of the field. Townsend was bunkered on the first playoff hole and took a bogey 5 to Player's par 4.[4]

In 1981 the event became the Ivory Coast Open and was added to the Safari Circuit schedule.[5] It was won by Gordon J. Brand, who beat Martin Poxon at the first hole of a sudden-death playoff, after the two had tied on 271.[6]

Winners

This list is incomplete. The 1999 event was advertised as the 18th edition.

Year	Tour[lower-alpha 1]	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Venue	Ref.
Open de Côte d'Ivoire
1999	CHA	Ian Poulter	284	−4	2 strokes	Sébastien Delagrange David Park Marc Pendaries	Ivoire	[7]
1998	CHA	John Mellor	281	−7	3 strokes	Fredrik Lindgren José Antonio Sota	Ivoire
1997	CHA	Knud Storgaard	274	−14	Playoff	Anssi Kankkonen	President
1996	CHA	Massimo Florioli	284	−4	4 strokes	Michele Reale	Ivoire
1993−1995: No tournament.
Ivory Coast Open
1991	CHA	Michel Besanceney	279	−9	Playoff	Paul Carman	President	[8]
1990	CHA	David Llewellyn (2)	275	−13	2 strokes	Jeff Pinsent	President	[9]
1989	SAF	Vijay Singh	274	−14	1 stroke	Jeff Pinsent	President	[10]
1988	SAF	Gordon J. Brand (3)	275	−13	2 strokes	Richard Fish	President	[11]
1987	SAF	Jean Garaïalde					President
1986	SAF	Gordon J. Brand (2)	273	−15	2 strokes	Brian Marchbank	President	[12]
1985	SAF	David Llewellyn	277	−11	1 stroke	Brian Gunson	President	[13]
1984	SAF	Bill McColl	275	−13	5 strokes	Gordon J. Brand Craig Maltman	President	[14]
1983	SAF	Bill Longmuir	271	−17	1 stroke	Curtis Strange	President	[15]
1982	SAF	John Morgan	272	−16	2 strokes	Ian Woosnam	President	[16]
1981	SAF	Gordon J. Brand	271	−17	Playoff	Martin Poxon	President	[17]
Trophée Félix Houphouët-Boigny
1980	SAF	Gary Player	265	−23	Playoff	Peter Townsend	President	[4]

1. CHA − Challenge Tour; SAF − Safari Circuit.

References

1. Challenge in the Ivory Coast, European Tour, 13 April 1999
2. "Golf : Vincent Torgah grand vainqueur du Trophée Félix Houphouët-Boigny 2017". mondialsport.net. 16 October 2017.
3. "Player playing ambassador's role in Ivory Coast event". The Times. 6 March 1980. p. 15.
4. "Player ends duel with Townsend by snatching win in play-off". The Times. 10 March 1980. p. 9.
5. "Off on Safari!". Newcastle Journal. Newcastle upon Tyne, England. 5 February 1981. p. 18. Retrieved 16 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "Brand wins Ivory Coast open playoff". The Times. 2 March 1981. p. 8.
7. "Poulter keeps cool to take Ivory Coast title". European Tour. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
8. "Tee talk". Aberdeen Press and Journal. Aberdeen, Scotland. 11 December 1991. p. 20. Retrieved 9 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "Cassells collects his first pro cheque". Aberdeen Press and Journal. Aberdeen, Scotland. 19 December 1990. p. 21. Retrieved 9 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
10. "For the Record". The Times. 27 November 1989. p. 45. Retrieved 7 February 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
11. "Yorkshire's Gordon J. Brand". The Glasgow Herald. 8 February 1988. p. 7.
12. "A Brand double as Marchbank falters". The Glasgow Herald. 24 February 1986. p. 9.
13. "A Last-round 69". The Glasgow Herald. 18 February 1985. p. 17.
14. "Scotland's Billy McColl". The Glasgow Herald. 5 March 1984. p. 16.
15. "Longmuir coasts to victory". The Glasgow Herald. 7 March 1983. p. 16.
16. "John Morgan". The Glasgow Herald. 15 February 1982. p. 17.
17. "Gordon Brand". The Glasgow Herald. 2 March 1981. p. 18.

External links

• Coverage on the Challenge Tour's official site