The 17th Amateur World Golfers Championship (WGC) was officially opened with the traditional Flag Raising Ceremony on Sunday, 31 October at the 5-star Fairmont Zimbali Resort. Close to 30 countries received KZN’s “warm and friendly” from the Speaker of iLembe District Municipality, Cllr Muzi Sithole, who welcomed WGC to the beautiful shores of KwaZulu-Natal and wished the players and visiting countries a memorable golfing experience on KwaZulu-Natal’s world-class golf courses.
Craig Clay-Smith, spokesperson for World Golf Events South Africa (the event owners and organisers who have brought this prestigious event to Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa for three years, 2011 – 2013) said they were confident that this, the 17th WGC will be the amateur world golfing event of the year for South Africa.
Among the visiting golfers to our shores are sport celebrity heroes, Jerzy Dudek (retired Liverpool and Real Madrid football goalkeeper), and Mariusz Czerkawski (retired Polish NHL ice-hockey player and also the ex-husband of James Bond girl, Izabella Scorupco) as well as Princess Birgitta of Sweden. After the first day of practice on Zimbali Country Club, Umhlali Country, Prince’s Grant and Durban Country Club, the golfers expressed their enthusiasm at the quality of the courses and 5-star accommodation at the Fairmont Zimbali Resort.
“This World Golfers Championship is very exciting for our team as this is not only the first time that we are participating in the Championship, but also our first visit to South Africa, not to mention the great stay at the internationally acclaimed Fairmont Zimbali Country Club,” said Ngoc Chu Nguyen, Thailand Team Captain.
The hosting of the event not only unites amateur golfers from all over the world through the love of the sport, but also presents valuable opportunities to promote friendships and business across continents. Through the valued partnerships with Tourism KZN, a huge opportunity in the development of golf on an amateur level has been identified in South Africa and furthermore provides the province of KwaZulu-Natal with the opportunity to showcase its unique offerings as a sought-after tourism destination.
CEO of Tourism Kwazulu-Natal, Ndabo Khoza, said, “This event is an incredible achievement for the province and our tourism and business stakeholders have embraced the opportunity to expose our magnificent product to the world. We cannot wait to welcome players from around the world and are sure that our exceptional hospitality and unique cultural experience will create memories of a lifetime.”
World Golfers Championship has for the past 16 years presented the opportunity to experience playing in an international championship, which Team South Africa has described as “out of this world” and despite the nervousness of competing like “a pro” our players are confident of winning an amateur world golfing title for South Africa.
Craig Clay-Smith concluded, “We are looking forward to a successful World Final thanks to our valued sponsors and partners who have played an integral part in bringing this event together for KwaZulu-Natal. We wish Team South Africa the best of luck and trust they will continue to embrace the opportunity of forging new friendships abroad through their love of golf.”
For more information, please visit www.wgesa.com