The new Blue Label Development Tour, a series of 10 18-hole tournaments to be played in Gauteng, will tee off this August.
The tour is a significant expansion of playing opportunities for recognised development professionals and will draw players from the Altron Big Easy Tour, the Sunshine Tour Qualifying Schools, the Altron Vusi Ngubeni Tournament and the Sunshine Tour Luno Order of Merit under various categories of eligibility.
Each tournament will be played on a Monday and will feature a field of 85 professionals competing for a prize fund of R50,000, with the top 10 earning a cheque.
In order to limit the expenditure for the professionals, all the tournaments will be played in Gauteng and there will be no entry fees.
The Blue Label Development Tour is an expansion of Blue Label’s already significant investment in the Sunshine Tour through the hosting of the Blue Label Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club.
“I’m so excited that the Blue Label Challenge has grown to include the Blue Label Development Tour and what is now a hugely significant contribution to the development of professional golf in South Africa,” said Larry Nestadt, independent non-executive chairman of Blue Label.
“It’s an honour for us to be able to provide these playing opportunities for development players, and in so doing to truly transform their careers and redefine what they themselves even believed could be possible through the game of golf.”
Brett Levy and Mark Levy, joint CEOs of Blue Label, said: “We are proud to be associated with the Blue Label Challenge, and are now extremely excited about this extension of that vision into the Blue Label Development Tour where we can grow our investment into professional golf and our vision for a truly transformed professional golf landscape in South Africa.”
Thomas Abt, the commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, said: “This is a real gamechanger in terms of yet another opportunity for our development players to make use of the local pathways to get on to the Sunshine Tour. Blue Label has provided the perfect example of how we can work together to truly unlock the greatness in all facets of the professional game.”
Blue Label Development Tour Schedule
15 August: Waterkloof Golf Club
22 August: ERPM Golf Club
5 September: Kempton Park Golf Club
19 September: Modderfontein Golf Club
22 September: Services Golf Club
26 September: Benoni CC
17 October: State Mines Country Club
20 October: Venue to be confirmed
24 October: Wingate Park Country Club
27 October: Venue to be confirmed
