Westner won the World Cup of Golf with Ernie Els in 1996 as well as two South African Opens
World Cup Winner Wayne Westner Commits Suicide
Unconfirmed reports emerged this morning that the hostage situation involved his wife at their home in the KwaZulu-Natal province on South Africa's east coast, just south of Durban.
Eyewitness News, a South African news outlet, report that the 55-year-old died of a gunshot wound to the right side of his head.
Westner, who was known for his power, won 14 professional tournaments and reached a high of 40th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
He won the 1988 and 1991 South African Opens, both at Durban Country Club, and also won the 1996 World Cup of Golf alongside Ernie Els.
Born in Johannesburg, he won twice on the European Tour, including the 1993 Dubai Desert Classic, and also topped the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit in 1995/96.
His career was cut short after he injured his ankle ligaments in the lead-up to the 1998 Madeira Islands Open - he then went into coaching.
He set up the Wayne Westner Golf College in KwaZulu-Natal where he coached aspiring young professionals.
He worked with some of the world’s top golf coaches, including David Leadbetter, Denis Pugh, Simon Holmes and Bob Torrance.
