New SAGA rankings launch in 2016

New SAGA rankings launch in 2016

4 December 2015 - The South African Golf Association (SAGA) has announced adjustments to the national amateur ranking system that should see players rewarded for consistency rather than frequency of play.

The tweaks to the ranking system will come into effect from 1 January 2016 and will bring South Africa’s amateur ranking system closer to the World Amateur Golf Ranking system.

Under the current ranking system, which calculates the players’ rankings from their best 20 results over the last 24 months, amateurs who participated in more tournaments have been at a distinct advantage.

The new system, which will take into account the 10 best scores over the previous 12 months, will reduce the pressure on players to play every event and places greater emphasis on a player’s consistency.

“The new system is a lot less volatile,” explained South African Golf Association president Gerhard Conradie.

“Reducing the minimum number of events will reward the players who play consistently well rather than those players who play more often.”

Eliminating the pressure to play more tournaments will not only help amateurs save on high travel costs, but will also reduce the risk of overplay, while producing a ranking that is more reflective of current form.

In another small but necessary change to the amateur ranking system, a pool of points will be assigned to each event based on the strength of the field and the prestige of the event. These points will be divided and allocated according to each player’s finishing position, similar to how prizemoney would be allocated in professional tournaments. 

For a detailed explanation of the new amateur ranking system, as well as changes to the senior, mid-amateur and junior ranking systems, log onto www.saga.co.za

Lali Stander

The Write Word Sports Media Consultants

TEL: +27 82 990 7150

EMAIL: lalistander@gmail.com