November 10, 2006
By Ndaba Dlamini
IT'S official - the Joburg Open, carrying prize money of a whopping R9,38-million, will take place early next year and a top international field is expected at this inaugural golfing event.
Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour of South Africa and the European Tour, the tournament
joins the two tours' other joint ventures, the Dunhill Championship and the South African Airways Open. It will be held at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club in Linksfield from 11 to 14 January.
The tournament is a public sector partnership between the City of Johannesburg, the Gauteng Economic Development Agency and easyGolf Worldwide. Some big names will be among the 200 golfers expected to participate in a double field for the first two days, in which 100 foreign and 100 local slots will be available. After the cut on Friday, 12 January, the field will be reduced to 70 plus ties, according to Leon Plutsick of easyGolf, the event's promoters.
"We are expecting a number of the top 100 Europeans and a couple of top South African golfers. We are still in the process of finalising players and awaiting confirmation from the European PGA."
Because of the large size of the total field, the east and west courses at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington will be played over the first two rounds, with the field moving to the east course after the halfway cut.
The event will benefit the city in many ways. It will be broadcast to over 300-million households around the world, with four days of live coverage. The estimated publicity is valued at R75-million. "It's a perfect build up for the city leading up to [the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup]," Plutsick says.
Johannesburg expects to generate R33-million from tourists, local spectators, golfers, entertainment and investment in facilities, as well as to create employment, says Executive Mayor Amos Masondo. "We want everyone in the city to feel that the Joburg Open belongs to them."
A key objective of the tournament is to raise funds for the establishment of a development driving range and educational facility near Diepsloot, according to Masondo. The driving range will be built in the first phase, and thereafter the educational facility will be built to train previously disadvantaged people in golf club management, green keeping and caddying.
The tournament is also a huge opportunity to boost awareness of Joburg and South Africa as a tourist gateway.
Sunshine Tour commissioner Johan Immelman says that the open will grow Johannesburg's reputation as a premier events destination.
According to Plutsick, the Joburg Open will be staged for the next three years but there is a good chance it will be a long term and prominent sports fixture in Johannesburg.
"Due to the late announcement and confirmation of sponsors, the first year will be a relatively basic event with regards to other events around the tournament. In the second year, we are planning a week-long festival of golf with evening events happening around the major attractions of the city in order to showcase what [Joburg] has to offer culturally. There will also be travel and golf exhibitions during the 2008 event."
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