Simon Forbes Newbold Hobday (23 June 1940 – 2 March 2017)[2][3] was a South African professional golfer who won tournaments on three continents.
Hobday was born in the British Embassy in Mafikeng, South Africa.[4] Both of his parents were from England.[4]
Hobday lived part of his life in Zambia and represented the country in the 1966 Eisenhower Trophy.[5] In early 1969, he was still an amateur golfer and still represented Zambia. At the time, he worked as a car salesman in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.[6]
In April 1969, while still an amateur, Hobday played the Kenya Open. In the final round he broke the course record at the Muthaiga Golf Course with a 66 (−6) to leap into second place. At 284 (−4) he finished joint runner-up with Scotland's Bernard Gallacher, five behind champion Maurice Bembridge. He defeated several notable professionals including Christy O'Connor Snr and Australia's Bob Tuohy.[6]
In 1969, Hobday turned professional. He spent his regular career mainly on the Southern Africa Tour, where he won six times and the European Tour, where he won the 1976 German Open and the 1979 Madrid Open.
In 1977, the British government froze his earnings on the British PGA because London had "political and sporting sanctions with Rhodesia." As a response, Hobday changed his sporting nationality from Rhodesia to South Africa.[7] In 1981, he "quit the European tour."[8] That year, he also moved from Zimbabwe to South Africa.[9] He began work at Wingate Park Club in Pretoria, South Africa.[8]
As a senior, he played mainly in the United States on the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour), where he claimed five titles between 1993 and 1995 including one senior major, the 1994 U.S. Senior Open.
Southern Africa Tour playoff record (1–0)
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
Note: Hobday never played in the Masters Tournament or the PGA Championship.
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1977 and 1984 Open Championships)
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Amateur
Professional