PREPARATIONS FOR JOBURG OPEN IN ADVANCED STAGE
25 January 2017
Reigning champion Haydn Porteous is expected to take to the pristine fairways of the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club this February to defend his title in one of Africa’s biggest professional golf events – the Joburg Open International Golf Tournament.
Scheduled to tee-off between Thursday 23 and Sunday, 26 February 2017 in Linksfield North in the east of Johannesburg, the internationally acclaimed Joburg Open celebrates its 11th year since inception.
The 72-hole stroke play contest entails a round of 18 holes being played each day. Play is in accordance with the rules of golf of the Royal and Ancient (R&A), the custodians of golf rules in the world. Should the competition require a play-off, it will follow the format of sudden death on the 18th hole.
The price
The Joburg Open boasts a total prize purse of €1, 3-million euros, which will be distributed among players who make the cut.
The prestigious tournament also features 206 local and international professional and amateur golfers, who each battle it out to claim the coveted trophy and cash prize.
Having hosted the Joburg Open for the past 10 years is a milestone worth commemorating for a lifetime, says the City of Joburg’s Director of Events Bongi Mokaba.
“You need to have a vision and passion for the sport, be tenacious and have a thick skin in order to withstand the kind of arduous task that the hosting of the Joburg Open presents,” Mokaba says.
She says the 10th addition of the tournament, held last year, set a new yardstick for
the nail-biting showpiece; it was now time to build on that legacy. “The growth of the Joburg Open is twofold, I would like to see the participation of more black professional golfers and for their performance to improve,” she says.
Mokaba says the Joburg Open is designed to make the sport of golf more accessible to everyone, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as to showcase top-notch golf.
This is why the City hosts the annual golf development clinic. Here, professional golfers share their skills and tricks of the trade with aspirant golfers from various high schools in Alexandra.
As is customary, the Joburg Open will begin with an invite only Pro-Am on Tuesday, 21 February 2017. The Pro-Am is a precursor to the main event and will comprise of 240 golfers taking to the lush lawns in a four-ball set up comprised of one professional and three amateurs. All participants are required to play off an official handicap.
During the tournament, the Joburg Open field comprises approximately 210 golfers, including some development amateur players. The inclusion of amateur golfers to the decade old tournament is one of the best things about it, says Mokaba.
“Including amateurs in the tournament enables those with low rankings to participate in a legitimate, professional competition and improve their prospects of becoming mainstream golfers,” Mokaba explains, adding that the opportunity will also help amateurs improve their game.
She says amateurs are selected based on who of them is the highest ranking golfer in the country. This year a lifeline will be thrown to more amateur golfers through a qualifying series to be held two days ahead of the main event at the Houghton Golf Club.
In previous years, the tournament was affected by several cases of inclement weather, however that never deters diehard fans from coming out in their numbers, umbrellas in hand and raincoats donned to follow the jam-packed action.
Spectators can catch the golf action on the course from the front line by attending any or all of the days of play. Tickets are on sale at the gate of the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club or through TicketPros http://www.ticketpros.co.za/portal/web/index.php. Single tickets are R50 and a full event ticket, which covers all four days is prized at R150. Pensioners and children under the age of 16 get in for free.
Those unable to catch the action at the venue should not despair as the tournament will be broadcast live on Supersport TV on all four days from 12 noon to 4pm.