Sport

Schwartzel eyes Joburg 'three-peat'

Lynley Main

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12 January 2012

Johannesburg-born Masters winner Charl Schwartzel will take to the luxuriant lawns of the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on Thursday to defend his title in the annual Joburg Open, an event co-hosted by the Sunshine and European Tours.

Schwartzel, the winner of the event in 2010 and 2011, will be looking to score a hat-trick in 2012.

Other past winners include Argentina's Ariel Canete, who won the inaugural event in 2007, South African Richard Sterne (2008) and Anders Hansen from Denmark (2009).

Among the big names hoping to lift the silverware this time round are two-time Major champion Retief Goosen and English golfers Robert Rock and David Howell.

Celebrating its sixth year, the tournament features over 200 professional and amateur golfers fighting it out to claim the trophy. It also boasts a total prize purse of €1.3-million (approximately R13.7-million), which is distributed among the players who make the cut. The cut is the top 65 players plus ties.

"The field will comprise 206 professionals and four amateurs," explained the City's director of events, Bongi Mokaba. "The amateurs are made up of the top amateur in the country, Brandon Stone, and three development players."

A platform for top amateurs

Including amateurs in the tournament is one of the best things about it, according to Mokaba. It enables players with low rankings to participate in a legitimate tournament and improve their game. "The tournament has allowed these golfers a platform to perform," she reckoned.

The event began with a Pro-Am on 11 January, with about 60 pros teaming up with amateurs, comprising politicians, business bigwigs and the like. Each four-ball included one pro and three amateurs, with two-time defending champion Schwartzel joining City mayor Parks Tau, Sunshine Tour Commissioner Selwyn Nathan, and Chief of the South African National Defence Force General Solly Shoke in a four-ball.

"The Joburg Open gives us an opportunity to showcase our facilities and position ourselves as a world-class golf hosting city with all the facilities that we have," said Mayor Tau. "We continuously need to find ways to position the city as a destination for all sorts of sporting events."

'Up to 10 000 spectators a day'

Having grown wildly in popularity since its inception, the Joburg Open now welcomes tens of thousands of spectators on to the course each year. "In good weather, there are up to 10 000 spectators a day," said Mokaba.

As to what can be expected weather-wise for the upcoming competition, she said there is a forecast for rain but that "we can't really predict yet what will happen". But even in cases of inclement weather, diehard fans are out with umbrellas and raincoats to follow their favourites.

Playing the tournament at the Royal allows the Open to be the only tournament locally to be simultaneously played on two courses, according to the Open’s website.

Golf course merger

The golf club came about as a result of a merger between the former Royal Johannesburg and Kensington clubs in 1998. It has since become known as one of the most prestigious courses in the country, with two courses: East and West.

"The size of the field is such that you need a 'double course', and the openness of the course allows organisers to deal with the capacity," Mokaba explained. "In terms of layout, the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club works perfectly for the tournament."

In addition to the main event and Pro-Am, an annual golf development clinic was held two days before the tournament at the Alexandra Driving Range. Here, professional golfers shared their skills and tricks of the trade with budding young players.

Tickets

Spectators can catch the action on the golf 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 from 3 to 16 January; single tickets are R30, and a full event ticket, which covers all four days, is R80. Pensioners and children under the age of 16 can get in for free.

Parking at Huddle Park is included in the price of a ticket. For golf lovers who are unable to watch each swing, birdie and eagle in person, the tournament will be broadcast on DStv's Supersport 1 on all four days from 12:00 to 16:00.

Sponsors of the event include the City of Johannesburg, Bwired, Volvo and Legacy Hotels and Resorts. New sponsors this year are BMW, Investec, EOH and Primedia Outdoor.

Source: City of Johannesburg