||:: Buffalo to host Africa Open ::||

Buffalo to host Africa Open

By Karabo Keepile
8 January 2009

IN mid January Buffalo City will host some of the world’s top golfers, including South Africans Retief Goosen, James Kingston and Richard Sterne, as well as Argentinean Angel Cabrera and Ireland’s Darren Clarke.

The Africa Open Golf Tournament, a highlight of the Sunshine Tour, will tee off at the East London golf course from 15 January to 18 January.

A field of 144 golfers will be competing for the R5-million prize money. Goosen is a two-time US Open winner, while Sterne is currently top of the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit. Clarke is the 2008 winner of the BMW Asian Open.

Buffalo City is investing R3-million into the tournament, according to a statement from the municipality. “The spin offs are enormous, especially for the locals.”

It is expected that more than 300 jobs will be created during the event, bringing a boom for local businesses, trade and tourism, the municipality says.

Buffalo City is “positioning itself a as a sport destination of choice towards ambitions of being a Team Base Camp and Training Venue for one of the teams that will be participating into the 2010 soccer World Cup competition”, according to the municipality.

Sports city

Buffalo City has a rich sporting life with a number of world-class facilities and top teams, including the Border Bulldogs in rugby and the Chevrolet Warriors in cricket.

It also boasts a number of South African and World boxing champions. Former greats Vuyani Bungu and Welcome Ncita both hail from Buffalo City.

It was a host city for the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 2003 Cricket World Cup, and is also host to Premier Soccer League matches

The East London golf club is one of the country’s oldest clubs. The course features a unique natural course layout through coastal dunes and indigenous bush. It has spectacular views of the city and the Indian Ocean.

The event will start with a Pro-Am tournament on Wednesday, January 14, just before the main event. Buffalo City’s executive mayor Sakhumzi Caga will tee off the first ball of the tournament, signalling the start of an eventful sporting year.