South Africa’s professional golf tour looking to provide more opportunities for historically-disadvantaged golfers.
The Sunshine Tour has unveiled the first intake of its new Papwa Sewgolum Class for the 2022/2023 season, along with the support it will receive from corporate South Africa.
A total of 61 historically-disadvantaged golfers – including experienced professionals such as Dylan Naidoo, Keenan Davidse and Heinrich Bruiners, as well as the younger generation of the likes of Franklin Manchest and Karabo Mokoena – will be given the opportunity to take their professional careers to the next level, with support from corporates such as Investec, SuperSport, Betway, VAT It, DNI, Credit Guarantee, Cobra Puma, TaylorMade, and The Papwa Foundation.
Papwa Sewgolum
Papwa Sewgolum was a South African golfer of ethnic Indian origin who played a pioneering role in the advancement of the game amongst the historically-disadvantaged. He was a three-time winner of the Dutch Open and finished 13th at the 1963 Open Championship. In 1965, he won the Natal Open for the second time, defeating runner-up Gary Player. Even more famous than his victory, however, was the trophy presentation. Sewgolum was forced to accept the trophy outside of Durban Country Club in the rain. Coloured and black people were not allowed in the clubhouse. Sewgolum’s performance and treatment received worldwide attention.
“The establishment of the Papwa Sewgolum Class 2022/23 not only recognises Papwa’s role in highlighting the need for golf to be more inclusive, but it also contributes to building a lasting legacy in keeping with the notable success he achieved at home and abroad,” said Jehad Kasu, Executive Board Member and Spokesperson of The Papwa Foundation. “We are encouraged by the Sunshine Tour’s commitment to meaningfully transform the sport in collaboration with the Papwa Foundation and look forward to crystalising a lasting partnership through which we enable an opportunity to all qualifying, aspirant historically-disadvantaged golfers, to achieve greatness.”
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The Papwa Sewgolum Class seeks to build on the work done by the South African Golf Development Board and GolfRSA to identify the raw amateur talent within the game, and to then provide a sustainable pathway into the professional arena for historically-disadvantaged golfers.
Greater Opportunities
The inaugural Papwa Sewgolum Class will have greater opportunities to compete on the Sunshine Tour and Altron Big Easy Tour through the expanded schedules and increased prize money offered on both these tours, with monthly financial assistance towards their tournament golf expenses, including their tournament entry fees.
The Altron Big Easy Tour alone, one of the main areas of competition for the Papwa Sewgolum Class, will this season feature 10 tournaments in a schedule running from May to September, and includes record prize money for the tour. The prize money for each 36-hole tournament will be R150 000, which is an increase of R50 000 per tournament from the 2021 season.
Access
The Papwa Sewgolum Class golfers will also receive access to quality coaching, golf courses, gyms and fitness instructors at the World of Golf. TaylorMade and Cobra Puma Golf will provide them with equipment and apparel, and they will have access to a sports psychologist and career counseling.
Further career paths within the golf industry have also been created through a partnership with the PGA of South Africa that allows for members of the Papwa Sewgolum Class to begin the qualification to become recognised PGA professionals.
