Leopard Creek, South Africa: The GolfRSA Tournament Support Programme, a development initiative funded by The R&A, the National Lotteries Commission and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in South Africa, has been introduced to provide pathways into the sport for golfers from less privileged backgrounds.
The initiative will offer financial support to cover travel, accommodation and subsistence to the players selected for the initial programme so that they can participate in more tournaments to gain experience in the sport.
A total of 40 events on the World Amateur Golf Ranking™, both locally in South Africa and internationally around the continent of Africa have been identified, will be distributed across the group.
Johndre Ludick, who is competing in the Africa Amateur Championship at Leopard Creek this week, is one of the golfers selected for the programme, which will include 25 golfers (12 women and 13 men), aged 16-23 years old.
“This programme means a lot to me, especially coming from a small town where we don’t have as many opportunities, and so I’m really grateful for the support”, said Ludick.
“Getting exposure to golf here in South Africa and other countries is hugely important, but being involved will also allow me to learn a lot about myself, meet new people and make friends.”
Grant Hepburn, CEO of GolfRSA, said, “We are grateful to The R&A, the National Lotteries Commission and Department of Sport, Arts and Culture for their support which will allow us to introduce this important initiative for golf in South Africa.
“It will allow us to identify golfers who will benefit significantly from having a support framework in place that enables them to develop as players and give them the opportunities that they have not previously had.
“We are excited to have invited the first group of players to be part of this initiative and look forward to watching their progress over the coming years.”
Kevin Barker, Director – Golf Development at The R&A, said, “We are working closely with national federations in Africa to establish development initiatives that provide pathways into the sport and offer support to players who have the talent and drive to succeed in golf.
“The GolfRSA Tournament Support Programme will deliver valuable opportunities to golfers, enabling them compete in elite amateur championships and exposing them to high performance environments which will be hugely beneficial to their overall development as golfers.”