Johannesburg, South Africa: The Joburg Open will make history this year when it becomes the first tri-sanctioned tournament to be staged on South African soil.
It will also celebrate a new date and venue on the Sunshine Tour.
At the launch of the R16.5 million (about US$1.2 million) tournament at Soweto Country Club, Sunshine Tour Executive Director Selwyn Nathan announced that the Joburg Open will be played at Randpark Golf Club over two courses from December 7-10 and will be tri-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, European Tour and Asian Tour.
Former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen has confirmed he will play in the tournament which again forms part of the Open Championship’s International Qualifying, offering three spots into the Major for the leading three finishers in the top-10 who are not already exempt.
The Joburg Open will be the penultimate tournament on the 2017 Asian Tour schedule.
Asian Tour Chief Executive Officer Josh Burack said: “We are proud to sanction the Joburg Open for the first time. We have a strong partnership with the Sunshine Tour and European Tour and we will continue to work together to develop the game around the globe.
“We are excited to add the Joburg Open on our robust schedule and the presence of the Asian Tour in 18 different countries this season shows the appeal and growth of the Tour.”
Nathan said: “This is an exciting time for the growth of the Joburg Open and we welcome our new partners, the Asian Tour, in this endeavour.
“The strength of the Sunshine Tour has always been the excellent relationships we have with the other major Tours of the world and this allows us to keep creating opportunities for our members and global value for our sponsors.”
The field for the Joburg Open will be 240 professionals, including 30 Asian Tour members and four amateur invites. The remainder will be split between the European Tour and Sunshine Tour.
European Tour Chief Executive Officer Keith Pelley said: “We have strong relationships with both the Sunshine Tour and the Asian Tour and this is another opportunity to showcase how this can be used to drive golf forward in the region and to ensure a stronger product that benefits all.”
Herman Mashaba, Executive Mayor of the City of Joburg, said the changes reflect the Joburg Open’s original strategy to keep positioning the city to a global audience.
“We are thrilled to welcome on board the Asian Tour and excited at the new markets this affords us in terms of coverage of the Joburg Open. Our aim from the start with this tournament was to showcase all that Johannesburg has to offer. To now include Asia in this is a big step forward for us.”