SUN CITY: Six Million dollars up for grabs at Africa’s pre-eminent golfing tournament

By Sports Reporter

Tommy Fleetwood will aim to complete the Nedbank Golf Challenge hat-trick when he returns to Sun City’s Gary Player Country Club from November 9 – 12 .

The European Ryder Cup star last year successfully defended the trophy, which he first won in 2019, as ‘Africa’s Major’ returned to the DP World Tour International Schedule following the Covid-19 pandemic and the Englishman will launch the second defence of his title when the $6,000,000 event returns later this year.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge has been a highlight of the South African sporting calendar since its first edition in 1981, with the Englishman among a glittering list of winners including South African golfing icon Ernie Els – a three-time winner of the event – the legendary Seve Ballesteros, and Major Champions Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Sir Nick Faldo, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman and Danny Willett.

Fleetwood has an enviable record at Gary Player Country Club, finishing in a tie for tenth in 2017, a result which helped him towards being crowned Race to Dubai Champion later that year, before defeating Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult in a play-off two years later following a sublime seven under par closing round.

The two-time Ryder Cup player then came out on top of a thrilling final day battle with New Zealand’s Ryan Fox in 2022 to win in South Africa for a second time and the 32-year-old is relishing his return in November.

Fleetwood said: “I’ve got some great memories from the Nedbank Golf Challenge and I’m really excited to get back to Sun City.

“Last year’s event was such a rollercoaster with the weather, and I wasn’t feeling great at the start of the week, so to be able to come out on top on Sunday was amazing.

“It is always special to defend any title but returning to Sun City as defending champion is a true honour. I was lucky enough to be able to do it last year and I can’t wait to do it again this year. Nobody has ever won this event three times in a row so I can’t wait to give that a go.”

Gary Player, the Tournament Host, said: “When we launched this tournament I called on the biggest names in golf to support us, which they did. I am delighted that Tommy continues to do so as well and I can’t wait to greet him on the first tee once again. He has written his name into Nedbank Golf Challenge history as a magnificent champion by becoming only the seventh golfer to win back-to-back titles at Sun City.

“He is a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf who now has the chance to stand alone in the history of this event as its first ever winner of three consecutive titles and to add to the incredible legacy of this great tournament.”

Anthony Leeming, Chief Executive Officer of Sun International, said: “The scenes around the 18th green last year as Tommy celebrated with our Gary Player Country Club course staff and the spectators were some of the most memorable we’ve seen at Sun City in this tournament. We are proud to welcome back such a great champion who has not only written his name into Nedbank Golf Challenge history with his two titles, but also into the hearts of all fans of this great event.”

Mike Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Nedbank, said: “We are delighted that Tommy is returning to defend his title and to also have a shot at history as he seeks to become the first player to win three consecutive Nedbank Golf Challenge titles. Tommy represents everything of the legacy and passion of this event, and as ‘Africa’s Major’ it is a great way to tee off our sponsorship activities for the 41st edition of the Nedbank Golf Challenge.”

The 2023 Nedbank Golf Challenge will once again be included on the DP World Tour schedule in partnership with Nedbank and Sun International and will be the penultimate event before the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. The winner of the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit will receive a place in the 64-player field at Gary Player Country Club.

R2-MILLION FNB ESWATINI CHALLENGE

SECOND YEAR: In the one year since the tournament’s debut, it has made meaningful contribution towards raising standard of professional golf in the mountanious kingdom

By Golf Reporter

The Sunshine Tour has announced a significant increase in prize money on its schedule, with a host of tournaments, including this week’s FNB Eswatini Challenge, now featuring minimum purses of R2 million.

The prize money increase for the FNB Eswatini Challenge, to be played at the Nkonyeni Lodge and Golf Estate from July 27-29, is a particular boost for a tournament only in its second year on the schedule but which has already made a significant impact to the growth of the game in Eswatini.

“It’s quite significant for FNB Eswatini that in the one year since the tournament’s debut we have made such a meaningful contribution to raising the standard of professional golf locally. We are committed to this goal and are particularly excited that of the 120 players that will be playing in the 2023 FNB Eswatini Challenge, 15 of them are local and therefore have a fair chance at the prize fund,” said FNB Eswatini CEO, Dennis Mbingo.

The prize fund increase means this year’s winner will receive double what Jaco Prinsloo earned for winning the inaugural title.

Among the big local names registered in the professional category are the likes of Raymond Mathonsi, James Pennington, Meshack Zwane, Oscar Dube, Frans Strauss, Peter Dlamini, MJ Dlamini, Thulani Mkhaliphi and John Fakudze. “The appetite shown by the golfers is exciting,” said Eswatini Golf Union (ESGU) president Albert Mhlanga. andla Dlamini, President of the Eswatini Golf Union, said they were extremely grateful to FNB Eswatini and the Sunshine Tour for their contribution to the sport in the country.

“The bank is already making a significant contribution to the development of our junior golfers and for that we are grateful,” he said.

Musa Mdluli, Chairperson of the Eswatini Professional Golfers’ Association, said this was another major incentive for the country’s local professionals. “We expect great things from the Eswatini players and it would be an honour to have some of them challenging for the title.”

This year’s field is set to draw professionals from South Africa, Eswatini, the United States of America, Great Britain, Portugal, Greece, and Korea. Other African countries represented include Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Sunshine Tour Commissioner, Thomas Abt, said the prize money increase are the collective effort of the Tour and its loyal sponsors and partners to keep building on the growth of the past few seasons. “We are extremely grateful to be able to elevate the status of many of our tournaments and raise their prize money to a minimum of R2 million. For tournaments such as the FNB Eswatini Challenge, this elevates them to Level 2-tier points status on The Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, which means increased opportunity for those professionals taking part while at the same time strengthening the respective fields. We are thrilled to have a passionate brand like FNB Eswatini join us on this journey and we hope to grow the event with them for many years to come,” said Abt.

In recognizing the growth of the tournament, Mbingo also praised the support and endorsement of the tournament by the regional golf body in Eswatini.