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PGA Champs brings out SA’s finest

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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - 22 February 2009, Telkom PGA Championship trophy during the final round of the Telkom PGA Championship held at The Country Club in Woodmead, Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo Luke Walker / Sunshine Tour / Gallo Images

As much as Jaco van Zyl is looking for his place in golf history with a fourth victory in this week’s Eye of Africa PGA Championship, the tournament is also a celebration of the golfers who are the backbone of the game in this country.

The Eye of Africa PGA Championship, which tees off at the Eye of Africa Signature Golf Estate on Thursday, is the flagship tournament of the PGA of South Africa – the association of professionals who work at golf clubs giving lessons on the range, running the pro shop and generally adding value to a golf club’s overall business.

The PGA of South Africa will have 18 of its professionals competing alongside the Sunshine Tour professionals this week.

It’s the one week in South African professional tournament golf where a clear distinction is made between the regular touring professionals who play the game for a living around the world, and the PGA professionals who work in the game at golf clubs and driving ranges.

‘The Eye of Africa PGA Championship brings together the PGA professionals and the elite tour professionals of the Sunshine Tour who have all benefited from the contribution of a PGA professional to their personal growth in the game at a golf club or golf coaching level,’ says Ivano Ficalbi, the Chief Executive of the PGA of South Africa.

‘This is the PGA’s flagship tournament and it allows us to promote our members and the work they do. The PGA brand is one of the most recognised brands in golf worldwide. Our job is not to grow the game of golf but rather ensure that PGA members are trained in all aspects of the golf industry to assist the relevant bodies or development projects in delivering successful projects.’

The 18 PGA of South Africa professionals in the field this week include Johan Smit, Kenneth Dube and Henk Alberts who recently returned from Turkey where they represented South Africa at the PGA’s of Europe International Team Championship, where they finished tied 11th.

‘It’s a great opportunity for our members, but also for the association as a whole,’ says Ficalbi.

‘We had an incredible year of growth in 2016 in which we made a real impact throughout Africa in terms of assisting with the development of PGA professionals on the continent, which we have been mandated by the Royal and Ancient to do. We are also a respected international member of the PGAs of Europe. So this week will be a celebration of the PGA’s contribution to the game of golf.’