The Eye of Africa PGA Championship will remain on the Sunshine Tour schedule in a boost for local pros following the exits of the Joburg Open and the Tshwane Open.
The top players of local golf can breathe a sigh of relief with the confirmation that one of the most prestigious events will not follow in the footsteps of its co-sanctioned sister tournaments.
The Joburg Open has been merged into the SA Open, while the Tshwane Open has fallen off the European Tour calendar completely.
There were fears that the event at Eye of Africa may suffer the same fate, but those have now been allayed. Instead, there is merely a date shuffle, with the championship brought forward to the last week of January.
‘The PGA of South Africa is grateful to Eye of Africa Golf Estate and the Sunshine Tour for once again hosting the PGA Championship in 2019,’ said Ivano Ficalbi, chief executive of the PGA.
‘The PGA Championship has a proud and long history dating back to 1923 and we look forward to the 83rd edition of the Championship over the exciting Eye of Africa layout.’
Chief operations officer at Eye of Africa, Mark McGovern, was pleased to commit to the event, which may have the added benefit of less weather-enforced delays.
‘The Eye of Africa PGA Championship enters its 4th year in 2019 and is scheduled from the 31st January to the 3rd February. A little earlier than usual, but that may avoid the blistering heat and subsequent thunderstorms of past years. We are proud to once again have the opportunity to host this event, and our residents have been asking for months for confirmation of the date.’
This tournament has a long history of playoff and close finishes, with names like Gary Player, Nick Price, Tony Johnstone, Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen all engraved on the historic trophy.
Photo: Petri Oeschger/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images
