The executive mayor Ekurhuleni, Clr Mondli Gungubele, has welcomed the hosting of the 103rd South African Open Golf Championship for the third time in a row as a much needed sporting hat-trick for the city.
The tournament, which is the second oldest national golf championship after the British Open, will be played at Glendower Golf Club, in Edenvale, from November 21 to 24.
The previous times the city hosted the competition it was held at Serengeti.
“This tournament, which is one of the highlights of the golfing calendar, gives Ekurhuleni an opportunity to showcase its world class facilities to the rest of the world,” said Gungubele.
“Having hosted the 101st and 102nd editions of the SA Open, the fact that that it is coming back for the third consecutive time means we have been doing something right as a city, along with all our partners.”
The mayor emphasised that the SA Open forms part of the foundation of South African golf, and it is important that all South Africans are given an opportunity to share in its glory and history, hence the city is a delighted host.
“This year we hosted Africa’s first Airport Cities and Exhibition Conference in April, a clear indication that the Ekurhuleni Aerotropolis has hit the ground running in positioning itself as a world class city,” he said.
“For us to host the SA Open Golf Championship confirms our capability to play host to major national and international events.
“Let me assure all our visitors that we are ready to welcome the world here during the Open and we have lined up an exciting social programme that will leave them with an ever-lasting impression of the City of Ekurhuleni.
“A lot of interesting developments have taken place since we hosted last year’s event, and I am sure that our guests will find these latest developments very amusing and relaxing.”
Gungubele reiterated that the hosting of the SA Open is in line with the municipality’s triangular vision for sport development, with mass participation at the base and elite championship sport at the apex.
The SA Open sits at the apex of this triangle, as one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments for professional golfers.
“Our city has a history of producing sporting stars and, therefore, it is only a matter of time before we start producing world class golfers, especially if we continue to be home to such major golfing events,” the mayor said.
“While producing star golfers may be the ultimate goal, we would be failing as a city if we did not focus on developing young talent.
“In this regard, we are excited to share the news that many aspiring young golfers have been benefactors of the SA Open through various programmes, including free golfing lessons, and I am sure that this will continue being the case going forward.”
