The eighth stop in the 2018 Drive to Sun City Els for Autism Series saw 144 players venture out on to the Randpark Firethorn Course in the hope of booking a spot at Lost City later this year.
The course, renovated in 2017, was in pristine condition as the spirits of those playing matche d the wonderful winter’s day. As always, the day proved to be filled with laughter, thrills and spills and some excellent golf, with colleagues and friends Mervin Govender and Randal Chetty walking away winners on 49 points.
‘I have to admit that my partner carried me all day,’ confesses Chetty. ‘He made putt after putt and it was great to have a front-row seat for his superb play.’
Chetty and Govender were playing together for the first time in the Els for Autism series but it wasn’t their debut as a combination. ‘We work together and are good friends; we try to play at least once or twice a month but now that we are in the finals, maybe it will be a little more.’
The duo don’t plan on changing anything, even with a place at the Nedbank Golf Challenge Pro Am on the line at Sun City. ‘Golf will always be about having fun,’ says Chetty. ‘We had a great time at Randpark and were just lucky that the good golf came out on the day. We won’t be changing our “tactics”.’
The pair have played at Lost City Golf Course before, which will stand them in good stead as they face off against the other winners from around the country.
‘We aren’t going there with any plans or expectations,’ adds Chetty. ‘The day is all about supporting a great cause and having a good time doing it. If the golf happens to be “on”, that will be a bonus.’
HOW CAN READERS HELP?
Els for Autism funds its centre mainly through golf days, which form part of the ‘Els for Autism Drive to Sun City’. You can enter these golf days:
21 August: Copperleaf Els Club
18 October: Silver Lakes Estate
25 October: Ebotse Estate
31 Nov – 1 Dec: Sun City (final)
HOW IT STARTED
The Els for Autism Foundation was established in 2009 by Ernie and Liezl Els to focus on autism, a couple of years after discovering their son, Ben, was severely affected by the disorder, which impacts one in 68 people worldwide. Els for Autism aims to provide affected families with best-practice interventions and support. In 2011, Ernie and Liezl initiated a project to create a service that would give lower-resourced families of children on the spectrum in South Africa free access to effective treatment and the Ernie Els Centre for Autism was born.
CONTACT
The Children’s Memorial Institute (Gate 13), cnr Empire Rd and Joubert St Ext, Braamfontein 2011
Tel: (011) 484-7254
ernieelscentre4autism.co.za; [email protected]
– Compleat Golfer is the official media partner of Els for Autism
