Twenty-one golfers from South Africa have arrived in Uganda ahead of the official tee-off of the Pearl of Africa Golf Series at Entebbe Golf Club.
The tournament, “Uganda’s first Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR)” event, runs from 16th to 19th September and will bring together an international field of professionals and elite amateurs competing to strengthen their standing on the international golf pathway.
The South African team was welcomed at Entebbe International Airport by the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) with a traditional dance troupe, setting the tone for the week-long series.
Speaking on arrival, Ellandri Van Heerden of Bloemfontein Golf Club said Uganda had already exceeded her expectations.
“I am definitely very excited to come and see this wonderful African country, and so far it has exceeded my expectations. We had a very warm welcome here, and I had a lovely dance with the ladies and the gents who welcomed us,” she said.
“So I’m very excited for this week, excited to see the course and the conditions, and excited to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and explore Africa.”
On her ambitions, Van Heerden said: “For me, it would be to firstly improve my golf game and gain some experience on international turf. I would also love to place highly in the rankings this week. I practice hard, and I want to make everybody who’s supporting me proud.”
She added that she hopes to experience Uganda’s wildlife and catch a sunset over Lake Victoria.
Satelite Tour Manager Kyle Lucas said the series is part of efforts to unify African golf talent and give players exposure beyond Southern Africa.
“We are trying to get African golfers to come together and compete. We don’t want it to be closed off to just Southern Africa. We want the world to see what talent Africa has, and this is a good starting point,” Lucas said.
“It’s a good opportunity for Africa to see where they’re at, for the players to see where they’re at within African competitiveness, and I hope things progress and grow and get more and more from here,” he added.
The Pearl of Africa Golf Series kicks off on Wednesday 16th at Entebbe Golf Club, with organisers expecting a competitive international field.
