OVER 70 EMASWATI FIGHT IT OUT FOR PLACES ON FNB ESWATINI CHALLENGE

BY THEMBA ZWANE

EZULWINI – Over 70 local golfers are competing for a place in the prestigious FNB Eswatini Challenge main tournament to be held at Ezulwini Golf and Country Club in August.

Pre-Qualifiers to the tournament, hosted by the Eswatini Professional Golfers Association (EPGA) began yesterday at the same venue and will conclude tomorrow with a prize giving ceremony. Ten local professionals and two amateurs will qualify for the Challenge through the pre-qualifiers. Together with three emaSwati who are members of the Sunshine Tour, this will bring local participation in the Challenge to 15. According to EPGA President Musa Mdluli, interest in playing in the tournament has been huge. “We have been pleasantly surprised to see so many emaSwati show interest in playing in the Challenge. To us, it shows that golf in Eswatini is rapidly growing. Similarly, it underlines the stature of the FNB Eswatini Challenge as a premier golf tournament in Eswatini that everyone wants to play in,” he said.

Meanwhile, FNB Eswatini Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Sibusile Dlamini said the interest in the Challenge vindicated the bank’s support for golf in Eswatini. “As a business, we have committed to taking our Help to all emaSwati. We want more emaSwati to take up the sport of golf and for the game to continue growing. It is therefore exciting to see emaSwati come in their numbers to play in the pre-qualifiers, and we cannot wait to see who eventually makes the cut for the main tournament. As FNB Eswatini, we are committed to making the FNB Eswatini Challenge a driver for sustainable golf development in Eswatini and across our region,” she said.

The main tournament of the 5th edition, to be hosted at Ezulwini Golf and Country Club, will take place between 11-15 August and will be preceded by a two-day client Pro-Am in which the bank’s clients and stakeholders will play with selected professional golfers. This year’s Challenge is being played under a record-breaking E2.5 million prize pool. FNB Eswatini has set aside E60 000 to recognise the three best performing locals in the tournament and has also introduced a Junior Golf Day on tournament week aimed at bringing the sport of golf closer to children in Eswatini.