The city's pride - Joburg Open 2012

Home > 2010 archives > The city's pride

The city's pride

Winner of the inaugural Joburg Open - Argentina's Ariel Canete

From its ambitious beginnings on the European Tour in 2007, the Joburg Open has always sought to do things differently.

For a start, when the City of Johannesburg decided to partner with a major golf tournament, it was with the very specific aim of showcasing how a sports event with a global reach could benefit an entire city, and not just those who play golf.

The vision was that a golf tournament had to find some way to identify itself with both the city's wealthy suburban golfers, and the inner city taxi driver.

From the onset, the Joburg Open achieved this, and the result was a tournament that reached over 300 million people on television around the world, but which also made the kind of impact seen through the opening of the Alexandra Driving Range.

"It was imperative that the Joburg Open leave a lasting legacy beyond when the players leave and the hospitality tents are dismantled for another year," says Johannesburg's Executive Mayor, Councillor Amos Masondo.

"It's important to us that the rest of the world sees how one city can embrace a golf tournament to the extent that all its citizens feel a part of something special, whether they play golf or not."

World class city. World class golf.

The €1.3-million Joburg Open will tee off a major sporting year for the City of Joburg in 2010.

As a tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Sunshine Tour, this global golf event will showcase some of the finest players in the game.

Defending champion Anders Hansen has confirmed his place in the field for the 14-17 January tournament at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.

And the field is also set to include European Ryder Cup players David Howell and Paul McGinley, inaugural champion Ariel Canete and 2008 winner Richard Sterne, Anton Haig Jonnie Walker Classic winner in 2007, Darren Clarke, Adilson Da Silva and rising South African stars such as Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and James Kamte.

In a short space of time, the Joburg Open has entrenched itself as one of the European Tour's leading tournaments, and continues a tradition of major sporting spectacles in Johannesburg, following the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, and of course the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup.

As one of South Africa's four tournaments on the European Tour, the Joburg Open distinguishes itself as the only one of the four to be played on two golf courses - the East and West courses at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington.

Congratulations for the 2008 winner Richard Sterne from Joburg’s Executive Mayor Amos Masondo

And it continues to position Johannesburg as a world-class golfing destination.

With close on 100 golf courses in the greater Johannesburg region, you would be hard pressed to throw a sand wedge in any direction without hitting any one of the quality layouts on offer.

Johannesburg's centrality in terms of being the first stop for international tourists also makes it a popular start or finish on a golf tour.

Past champions

2007 - ARIEL CANETE

The Argentinian closed with three birdies in the final four holes on the East Course to win the inaugural Joburg Open by two strokes over Andrew McLardy.

Canete became the first Argentinian to win on the Sunshine Tour.

Anders Hansen digs deep
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)

2008 - RICHARD STERNE

A memorable 2008 for Sterne began with a victory in the Joburg Open, where he beat Magnus Carlsson and Garth Mulroy in a playoff after all three were tied on 13-under-par 271.

The young South African went on to win three European Tour titles that year and finish first on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.

But not even he could have predicted the result he achieved at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club early in 2008.

"When I won the Joburg Open, that Sunday of the final round I was feeling terrible. I was sick with flu. But somehow I got the job done."

2009 - ANDERS HANSEN

Hansen used his victory to spearhead a remarkable challenge on the Sunshine Tour in which he won two of the titles on the summer swing.

The Dane's Joburg Open victory seemed an unlikely one as he only made the halfway cut by a single stroke. But a 64 on the Saturday changed everything.

"Suddenly I was only one off the pace," Hansen said. "In the final round I made five birdies in the first nine holes and I held on on the back nine for the win."

Hansen closed with a 66 on the East Course to claim the victory by one stroke on 15-under-par 269.
"I guess if there's a message here, it's to never give up hope," he said.