Gavan Levenson
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Gavan Neil Levenson (born 18 December 1953) is a South African professional golfer.
Early life and amateur career
Levenson was born in Johannesburg. He represented South Africa in the 1976 Eisenhower Trophy and won several major amateur tournaments including the French and Rhodesian Open Amateur Championships in 1978.
Professional career
In 1978, Levenson turned professional and joined the European Tour the following year. He won the Belgian Open and finishing in 29th place on the Order of Merit in his rookie season.
After two seasons in Europe, Levenson qualified for the United States-based PGA Tour. He spent four largely unsuccessful years on the tour, only recording one top ten finish when he tied for 4th place at the 1982 Greater Hartford Open. He returned to Europe in 1985, and although he consistently finished inside the top 100 on the Order of Merit, he did not win again on the European Tour until the 1991 Open de Baleares.
Levenson also played on the Southern Africa Tour during the Northern Hemisphere winters. He won five titles in South Africa, including one South African Open Championship and one South African PGA Championship, and topped the Order of Merit in 1983/84.
Since turning fifty, Levenson has played on the European Seniors Tour, where he has one victory, achieved in just his second tournament, the 2004 DGM Barbados Open.
Amateur wins
- 1975 South African Amateur Stroke-Play Championship
- 1978 French Amateur Open Championship, Rhodesian Amateur Open Championship
Professional wins (8)
European Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 Jun 1979 | Belgian Open | −5 (68-71-68-72=279) | 3 strokes | South Africa Bobby Cole, England Nick Faldo, England Michael King |
| 2 | 10 Mar 1991 | Open de Baleares | −6 (72-74-67-69=282) | 1 stroke | England Steven Richardson |
Southern Africa Tour wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Feb 1983 | Sigma Vaal Reefs Open | −14 (75-67-70-62=274) | 2 strokes | Zimbabwe Nick Price |
| 2 | 4 Feb 1984 | Lexington PGA Championship | −9 (70-66-68-67=271) | 3 strokes | Zimbabwe Nick Price |
| 3 | 26 Jan 1985 | South African Open | −8 (69-68-72-71=280) | 3 strokes | South Africa Phil Simmons |
| 4 | 19 Jan 1986 | ICL International | −18 (71-65-67-67=270) | 1 stroke | South Africa David Frost |
| 5 | 13 Jan 1990 | ICL International (2) | −19 (67-68-66-68=269) | 2 strokes | South Africa Wayne Westner |
European Seniors Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 Mar 2004 | DGM Barbados Open | −12 (69-64-71=204) | 2 strokes | England Denis Durnian, England Carl Mason |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | |||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | |||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T36 | CUT | 79 | ||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | ||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T57 |
| PGA Championship |
Note: Levenson never played in the Masters Tournament.
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" = tied
Team appearances
Amateur
- Commonwealth Tournament (representing South Africa): 1975
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing South Africa): 1976
See also
External links
- at theEuropean Tourofficial site
- at theSunshine Tourofficial site
- at thePGA Tourofficial site
- at theOfficial World Golf Rankingofficial site