Vincent Tshabalala

Who is Vincent Tshabalala?

Vincent Vesele Tshabalala is a South African professional golfer.

Tshabalala was born in Johannesburg and worked as a mechanic before his golf career took over. As he was designated as "Coloured" under the Apartheid racial classification scheme he was not able to play on the Southern African Tour in his prime, but with assistance from South Africa's leading white golfer Gary Player he gained entry to tournaments around the world, and in 1976 he won the European Tour's French Open. Later that year he was selected in South Africa's World Cup team, but refused to take part. Soon afterwards his career was curtailed by injury. He plays his full shots crosshanded, a virtually unique method for a professional player.

Tshabalala made a comeback in the over-50 ranks, finishing in the top twenty on the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit four times in the 1990s, though without winning any tournaments. He also played on the Southern Africa Tour after the racial restrictions were abolished in the early 1990s, but by then he was almost fifty and he didn't win any official money events. However he won an unofficial money pairs event called the Nelson Mandela Invitational in both 2004 and 2005, playing with Ernie Els in the former year and with Tim Clark in the latter year.