The Province of KwaZulu-Nataltoday announced two-time US Open Champion, Retief Goosen, as their new golfing ambassador.
The announcement marks the start of a big week for KwaZulu-Natal as the 2013 Volvo Golf Championship takes place for the first time in the province at the Durban Country Club from the 10th to the 13th January 2013. This mega event is hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government in collaboration with IMG, Volvo and the European Tour to kick-start the 2013 golfing calendar.
Goosen will be competing for the first time since having back-surgery in August last year and is delighted that his first tournament is in South Africa and thrilled that KwaZulu-Natal has chosen him as their new representative.
He commented, “I am honoured to represent the KwaZulu-Natal Province on Tour as it is one of the finest golfing destinations in the world and it is a showcase for South Africa as a whole. The Government has shown real vision in bringing the Volvo Golf Champions to the Province as it will be watched and followed by millions of golf fans all around the world.
“I am so pleased that the rehabilitation has gone according to plan and I am able to compete in such a great tournament this week. When I had the operation, I had this event in mind as the target for my return to competitive golf. I love playing in South Africa in front of my home fans and Durban Country Club is a wonderful championship course that I really enjoy playing in and I am really looking forward to the week.”
Meanwhile KwaZulu-Natal is equally excited about playing host to such a spectacular sporting occasion. MEC for Economic Development and Tourism, Mr Michael Mabuyakhulu explained: “This is a very important week for the Province of KwaZulu-Natal as we are hosting another major international tournament. More pleasing is that we are also announcing one of golf’s superstars as our new ambassador to represent us and South Africa globally. Retief fits perfectly into our strategic plans as we look towards raising the profile of our golf tourism credentials around the world and we are confident of positive spin-offs emanating from this arrangement.”
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government has given the Volvo Golf Champions their whole-hearted support as they seek to showcase their golf credentials with over 70 golf courses in the region which flourish in this beautiful garden province of South Africa – with its sub-tropical climate of lush and well-watered valleys, washed by the warm Indian Ocean. The province was selected to host the Championship having demonstrated to Volvo, IMG and the European Tour that it had the enthusiasm and credentials to showcase the region to an international audience and host the world’s very best golfers on one of its many fabulous golf courses.
Everything is in place for a world-class week of golf and Goosen’s fans will be hoping to see a fairytale ending to his return to competitive golf.
