Sun City hosts annual Gary Player charity golf tournament
This Friday marks the start of the 2017 Gary Player Invitational South Africa. The renowned global charity golf event will take place at Sun City resort and casino, which is the home of the Gary Player and Lost City golf courts. The tournament is presented by Coca-Cola and is set for 24-26 November 2017.
The 2017 Gary Player Invitational
For starters, this year’s golf tournament at Sun City promises to be star-studded. Celebrities and an all-star cast of golf professionals will be joining retired SA professional golfer and host, Gary Player, on the field.
Golf tournament attendees
Darren Clarke, the Grand Slam champion player, captain for European Ryder Cup and 2011 Open champion, will be among the top golf professionals at the event. He says: “I’m delighted to be returning to the Gary Player Invitational. It continually astounds me how much money Mr Player and The Player Foundation have already raised for underprivileged communities, and I am always humbled to be able to play a role in supporting this important work”.
Other top golfers who will be present include:
- European Tour winners Ignacio Garrido and Brandon Stone;
- Ladies European Tour stars Victoria Elizabeth, Emma Bello and Caroline Martens;
- World Golf Hall of Famer Laura Davies;
- Springbok rugby star Chester Williams;
- Football legends Mark Fish, Robbie Fowler, Ruud Gullit and Matthew Booth.
SA’s hunky chunky actor and entrepreneur, Maps Maponyane, will also be part of the event, and a host of influential business leaders. All of them will be competing for a Baobab trophy at Sun City casino’s Lost City Golf Course.
Tournament calendar
On Friday, 24 November, four Sunshine Tour professionals; Makhetha Mazibuko, Lindani Ndwandwe, Michiel Bothma and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, will play in the pro-am. Mazibuko and Ndwandwe are part of the Player golf class of 2017-18, which is for historically disadvantaged professionals. The main golf tournament will take place on Saturday and Sunday.
About the Gary Player Invitational
The Gary Player Invitational is a premier global charity fundraiser hosted by golf icon, Gary Player. To date, the world series has raised more than 64 million in dollars with a quest of reaching more than R1 billion by 2025. The money goes into helping disadvantaged individuals and communities. The Gary Player beneficiaries in SA include Wildlands, which assists poor communities with recycling projects, and Wings and Wishes which assists critically ill children with transport and treatment.
Mr Player is the designer of Sun City’s most applauded Gary Player Golf Course and Lost City Golf Course.
