Nic Henning (born 26 April 1969) is a South African professional golfer.
Early life In 1969, Henning was born Pretoria, South Africa. He states he had "no choice" but to become a professional golfer as he was born into a big golfing family; his father, Graham Henning, and three of his uncles were professional golfers.
Professional career In 1992, he turned professional. Henning qualified for the Sunshine Tour before the 1992–93 season. His best performance during his early years was a runner-up performance at the Zimbabwe Open at the beginning of the 1993–94 season.
Henning qualified for the European Tour before the 1994 season. He did not play well, recording only one top-10 and did not come close to keeping his card.
He returned to South Africa where he played for the remainder of the 1990s and recorded several top-10s before finally winning the 1999 Vodacom Players Championship. Henning defeated Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, then one of the top players in the world, in a playoff. He still regards it as his top achievement as a professional. He would finish in second place on the South African Tour's Order of Merit for the 1999–2000 season.
The following year, Henning qualified for his only major championship, the 2000 Open Championship, and his only World Golf Championship event, the WGC-American Express Championship. He missed the cut at the Open but finished T-17 at the WGC event held at Valderrama Golf Club, even placing in the top-10 after the first round.
In 2001, he qualified for the European Tour for the second time. At two early events in South America, he recorded consecutive top-10s but his play quickly regressed after that. He would finish #145 on the Order of Merit and did not keep his card.
Henning returned to South Africa during the early 2000s and would have much success. He won the 2003 Royal Swazi Sun Classic and the 2004 Capital Alliance Royal Swazi Sun Open. He recorded his fourth and final win at the 2005 Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour defeating Doug McGuigan by a shot. Later in the year, in October, he tied Anton Haig after four rounds at the Seekers Travel Pro-Am but lost to him in a playoff. In 2008, he also finished the Nashua Golf Challenge and MTC Namibia PGA Championship tied in regulation but lost both in playoffs.
Professional wins (4) Sunshine Tour wins (4) No. DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up112 Dec 1999Vodacom Players Championship−12 (67-67-72-70=276)Playoff Darren Clarke222 Jun 2003Royal Swazi Sun Classic−18 (65-66-67=198)2 strokes Mark Murless38 May 2004Capital Alliance Royal Swazi Sun Open42 pts (10-4-9-19=42)1 point Titch Moore426 Aug 2005Vodacom Origins of Golf at Bloemfontein−11 (68-70-67=205)1 stroke Doug McGuigan
Sunshine Tour playoff record (1–3) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11999Vodacom Players Championship Darren ClarkeWon with birdie on second extra hole22005Seekers Travel Pro-Am Anton HaigLost to par on first extra hole32008Nashua Golf Challenge Keith HorneLost to par on second extra hole42008MTC Namibia PGA Championship Merrick Bremner, Tongoona CharambaCharamba won with birdie on third extra holeHenning eliminated by par on second hole
Results in major championships Tournament2000The Open ChampionshipCUT CUT = missed the half-way cut Note: Henning only played in The Open Championship.
Results in World Golf Championships Tournament2000Match PlayChampionshipT17Invitational
"T" = Tied
Team appearances World Cup (representing South Africa): 1998
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