S. African former golf pro Westner commits suicide

By AFP

South Africa South African police said former pro golfer Wayne Wester shot himself in Pennington, a coastal town south of Durban on January 4, 2017. By AFPFile

JAN 5, 2017 LISTEN

South African police said former pro golfer Wayne Wester shot himself in Pennington, a coastal town south of Durban on January 4, 2017. By (AFP/File)

Johannesburg (AFP) - South African former golfer Wayne Westner, who won the South African Open in 1988 and 1991, shot himself dead in front of his wife on Wednesday, police said.

Westner, 55, who also won the 1996 World Cup of Golf with compatriot Ernie Els, retired after being injured in 1998.

Police said he shot himself in Pennington, a coastal town south of Durban.

"The police opened a case of inquest after a 55-year-old man identified as Wayne Westner was found dead with a gun wound to his head today at 8:00 am," Thulani Zwane, police spokesman for KwaZulu-Natal province, told AFP.

"A pistol was found next to his body... it looks like it was a suicide. He shot himself in front of his wife in Pennington at the house of his wife."

No one else was injured in the incident.

Westner retired after he tore ligaments while playing in a tournament in Madeira, Portugal, when a wooden sleeper he was standing on collapsed and he fell badly.