Senior Players boasts new sponsor, venue and format

19 October 2019 – GolfRSA is pleased  to announce a new collaboration with Alec Levin Insurance and Investment Brokers as the main sponsor of the 2020 Senior Players Championship on 8 and 9 February 2020.

“We are delighted that Alec Levin Insurance and Investment Brokers have selected one of our flagship senior amateur events to enhance its profile in the golf market,” said GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn.

“The Players Championship is one of the most popular stops on our national senior amateur circuit and with its limited field format, the event has become one of the most sought-after tickets. We could not have asked for better partner to help us grow the senior game in South Africa. We are certain that the 2020 championship will prove a rewarding investment for our new partner.”

Alec Levin, CEO of Alec Levin Insurance and Investment Brokers, said the senior amateur circuit is a good fit for the company.

“Sport sponsorship plays a huge role in the overall marketing strategies of companies in South Africa and as an avid golfer myself, golf was the obvious choice,” Levin said. “I am an avid golfer myself after hosting the Alec Levin Stableford Challenge at Sun City earlier this year, I turned my attention to the Senior Players Championship.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for us. We love the concept of the event and the championship represents a great opportunity for us to give something back to our clients. The core values that underpin the game of golf like honesty, integrity and respect are perfectly aligned with the core value of our business.

“This sponsorship gives us an opportunity to engage with the seniors and create leverage in this market segment, but at the same time, we are actively contributing to the growth of the game by promoting a stronger, more competitive senior amateur circuit.”

Tournament organiser Philip Viljoen further confirmed that in addition to signing Alec Levin Insurance and Investment Brokers as the official sponsor, the championship will also move to a new venue for the 2020 edition and will feature an additional incentive for the Super Seniors.

“The Senior Players Championship was intended to reward the top performers at the end of each season, which is why entries are limited to the top 50 available players on the Senior Order of Merit,” Viljoen said. “Next year we will also be inviting the top 25 Super Seniors to the championship for the first time, but they will be competing for their own trophy.

“We also decided it was high time to take the Senior Players Championship to another part of the country. The inaugural event was held at Pecanwood Golf and Country Club in 2012 and we played the next six years at Sun City.

“We wanted to offer the golfers a new challenge and they will certainly get that at Kingswood Golf Estate in the Southern Cape. The links layout will make quite a change from the Gary Player Country Club and we are excited to see the seniors embrace the change.”

Kingswood Golf Estate golf course owner Liesel Niehaus said their members and the Kingswood Golf Estate home owners are very excited to welcome the Seniors Players Championship to the 2020 schedule.

“Kingswood has hosted many premier golf events in the last decade, including the SA Amateur Stroke Play, the Sunshine Ladies Tour, several inter-provincials and the 10 Nations Cup. To host a senior amateur championship of this stature is very exciting for us.

“We have earned the reputation as the course with the best greens on the garden route and we look forward to witnessing the prowess of the seniors on our links-style layout.

“Our staff on the golf course, driving range, the clubhouse, pro-shop and restaurant will pull out all the stops to make this a memorable experience for South Africa’s top senior amateurs.”

Former GolfRSA Protea Andre van Dyk is the only two-time champion of the event with victories in 2017 and 2019. Philip Bierman won the inaugural event, and other champions over the past seven years include Peter van Coller, Lynton Beckett, Morgan Phillips, Ben Kleynhans and Steve Williams.

Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of GolfRSA.