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Whatever happened to?... Mokgeteng 'John' Mashego
Whatever happened to?... Mokgeteng 'John' Mashego
Next up in our line-up of golfing legends from the past is a man who certainly did not have it easy in his early days. The ‘law’ at the time prohibited him from playing golf where and when he wanted to, solely because of the pigmentation of his skin.
It is truly remarkable to speak with Mokgeteng ‘John’ Mashego as you get a small glimpse into how different South Africa was for black people under apartheid.
Mashego though is not one to dwell on the past and expressed his desire to focus rather on the future and reflect on the many achievements that he has had.
I won the Bushveld Classic in 1991 in Ellisras to become the first black to win a tournament on the Sunshine Tour
Mokgeteng Mashego grew up in White River and came to Johannesburg in 1971 to play football.
However, his love of golf and his natural ability to play the game exceptionally well, led to him turning professional in 1980.
In 1981 John became a Tournament Players Association (the black equivalent of the SAPGA) member and in 1984 he became a Sunshine Tour temporary member.
Mashego amassed almost R400000 during ten seasons (playing more than two hundred and fifty events) on the Sunshine Tour.
Mashego was a member of the European Senior Tour from 2002 until 2009. His best finish was tied for second at the Jolie Ville Sharm El Sheikh Seniors Open in Egypt in March 2005.
He rediscovered some of his best form towards the end of the 2006 season, with a share of tenth place in difficult conditions at The Midas Group English Seniors Open and a share of 13th in torrential rain at the Estoril Open of Portugal.
Those results, however, were not enough to prevent a trip to Qualifying School, where he missed out in a play-off for a fully card.
He found found some consistency in 2007, registering three top 20 finishes.
He finished tied eighth in the Russian Open in one of his six appearances in 2008.
I absolutely love playing professional golf on the Sunshine Senior Tour
Mokgeteng Mashego is now an honorary at Ruimsig Country Club and is a member of the Sunshine Senior Tour.
Mashego clearly seems in a good space these days and went on to say “My first win on the Sunshine Senior Tour was at Leopard Park Golf Club in the North West with scores of 69 & 70.
"My second win came in Gauteng at the Ebotse Golf & Country Estate, where I scored rounds of 64 & 72. I absolutely love playing professional golf on the Sunshine Senior Tour”.
Mokgeteng Mashego we salute you!
