| Duration | 11 December 1985 (1985-12-11) – 16 March 1986 (1986-03-16) |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 11 |
| Most wins |  Mark McNulty (5) |
| Order of Merit | Mark McNulty |
1986–87 → | |
The1985–86 Southern Africa Tour was the 15th season of theSouthern Africa Tour, the mainprofessional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.
South AfricanDavid Frost had much success in the early part of the season, finishing in first or second place at the first six events. At the first tournament, theSafmarine South African Masters, Frost finished runner-up, four behind championMark McNulty.[1] TheGoodyear Classic, played the following week, sawDenis Watson beat Frost by one shot.[2] At the third event, theICL International,Gavan Levenson beat Frost by one shot.[3] At theLexington PGA Championship, Frost once again finished runner-up, five shots behind winnerBobby Cole.[4] The final round of the fifth tournament, theWild Coast Classic, started as a "match-play duel" between Frost and McNulty before McNulty went on to a "runaway win." Frost finished solo second.[5] At the sixth event of the season, theSouthern Suns South African Open, Frost finally won, birdieing the final three holes for a three stroke win overTony Johnstone.[6] This was his last event of the season; days later Frost flew to America play on thePGA Tour.[6]
For the remainder of the season,Fulton Allem andMark McNulty were the top contenders, earning the top two slots at nearly every late season event. At the seventh event, theAECI Charity Classic, Allem outdueled McNulty down the stretch and defeated him by a shot.[7] The following week, however, McNulty recorded a final round 69 to win by six shots over runner-up Allem at theBarclays Bank Classic.[8] Allem won the next event, thePalabora Classic.[9] The following week, at theSwazi Sun Pro-Am, McNulty shot a 65 and against Allem's 66 in the final round to tie at the end of the regulation. At the par-3 playoff hole, Allem made bogey, giving McNulty the win.[10] McNulty also won the final event, theTrustbank Tournament of Champions.[11] McNulty won the Order of Merit in a "runaway." Allem finished second.[12]
The following table lists official events during the 1985–86 season.[11]
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) | Winner[a] | OWGR points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Dec | Safmarine South African Masters | Cape | 100,000 | Mark McNulty (10) | n/a | |
| 21 Dec | Goodyear Classic | Transvaal | 100,000 | Denis Watson (3) | n/a | |
| 18 Jan | ICL International | Transvaal | 100,000 |  Gavan Levenson (4) | 10 | |
| 25 Jan | Lexington PGA Championship | Transvaal | 100,000 | Bobby Cole (7) | 20 | |
| 1 Feb | Wild Coast Classic | Cape | 100,000 | Mark McNulty (11) | 10 | |
| 8 Feb | Southern Suns South African Open | Transvaal | 100,000 | David Frost (2) | 20 | |
| 15 Feb | AECI Charity Classic | Transvaal | 100,000 | Fulton Allem (1) | 10 | |
| 23 Feb | Barclays Bank Classic | Transvaal | 100,000 | Mark McNulty (12) | 10 | New tournament |
| 1 Mar | Palabora Classic | Transvaal | 110,000 | Fulton Allem (2) | 10 | |
| 9 Mar | Swazi Sun Pro-Am | Swaziland | 100,000 | Mark McNulty (13) | 10 | Pro-Am |
| 16 Mar | Trustbank Tournament of Champions | Transvaal | 120,000 | Mark McNulty (14) | 20 | Tour Championship |
The following events were sanctioned by the Southern Africa Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) | Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Dec | Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge | Transvaal | US$1,000,000 |  Bernhard Langer | Limited-field event |
TheOrder of Merit was based on prize money won during the season, calculated inSouth African rand.[13]
| Position | Player | Prize money (R) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark McNulty | 113,527 |