Richard Sterne

Richard was born in Pretoria. He was somewhat unusually introduced to the game by his grandmother at the age of four. His family is actively involved in sport; his father is involved in motor racing, his mother was a noted ice- skater and his sister was one of the top squash players in South Africa. He established himself by dominating South Africa's amateur scene by becoming the first South African to win both the junior and senior national Strokeplay and Matchplay titles. In 1999, he was runner up at the World Junior Golf Championship for the 15-17 Division. After turning pro in 2001 he went on to play in the 2002 European Challenge Tour, graduating to the European Tour in 2003. His first victory came in 2004 at the Open de Madrid, an event he needed to win to retain his card. After an incredible run of victories in 2008, that included the SA Open, the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Joburg Open, Sterne won the 2008 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit but since then has struggled with a serious back injury. He took a season-long medical exemption from professional golf in 2011, but returned with impressive form in 2012, recording a top-10 finish at the Africa Open.