Local Golfers Off To Scotland After Winning National Finals
Some of the country’s avid golfers took part in the 2010 Old Mutual International Pairs National Finals, held from 16 until 19 August at Zebula Golf Estate and Spa, located in Bela Bela in Limpopo.
Alasdair Muir and Toni Turbiglio from Beachwood Country Club in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal beat Colin Nicholls and Larry Bredenkamp from Gauteng Nomads in an extremely exciting close finish that saw Nicholls and Bredenkamp take part in the first ever play off at a national final to determine second place. The play off was against Hendrik Swanepoel and Christo Meintjies from Potchefstroom Country Club, which saw Bredenkamp hold a three foot putt on the 18th hole to win the hole and second place.
These two couples will travel to Scotland later this year on an all expenses paid trip to play in the International Pairs Finals against golfers from around the world.
Muir thanked the sponsors after his win and said the tournament was an experience he will never forget. “My partner and I held it together well and I can’t believe that we’ve not only made it to the finals but actually won the event. Scotland here we come!”
Turbiglio was over the moon at the couple’s win. “What a week and what a tournament. We had a shaky start to the day so I’m thrilled that we’ve come out on top. These last few days will be remembered for the rest of my life,” he said.
Joy Khaole, Old Mutual’s brand expression manager said this key sponsorship provided the financial services company with the opportunity to engage and build emotional links with various customer segments, stakeholders and the broader community, as well as communicate the company’s brand image, through the challenging leveller of the game of golf. “Golf is one of the fastest growing sports in South Africa, which lends itself well to connecting with new and existing markets,” she added.
The successful pairs were four of 48 finalists that made it through the various Regional Finals, held around South Africa during the first half of this year, to take part in what was a fantastic climax to the International Pairs SA’s domestic qualifying process. Some 460 avid golfers took part in these Regional Finals.
The course set up at Zebula was changed daily and provided competitors with a challenging layout that was both interesting and enjoyable. Zebula is famous for its elephants, which were trained all week and used at the prize giving to ‘handover’ golf bags to the two winning pairs at a special ceremony on the 18th hole.
The Old Mutual International Pairs SA started in 2006 and this year’s national finals saw an interesting selection of participants with handicaps ranging from one through to 25. Said Paul Adams, licence holder for International Pairs SA: “This wide range of golfing ability epitomises the fantastic nature of this sport that sees players of all abilities able to compete on a level playing field.”
Further evidence of the equitable nature of this tournament is the fact that out of the 24 pairs who took part in the National Finals, there were eight pairs where both players have single figure handicaps, seven pairs that comprise a single figure and double-digit handicap player, whilst the remaining nine pairs comprised golfers who both play off double-digit handicaps. Besides the range of golfing handicaps amongst this year’s finalists, there were three ladies pairs and a mixed pair that competed at Zebula.
For the final results click here
Visit www.oldmutual.co.za/omipsa for more information.