DINERS CLUB INTERNATIONAL PRO-AM CLASSIC
- REGIONAL QUALIFIERS 2010
The 2010 Diners Club Regional Qualifiers recently
took place at Steenberg Golf Estate in Cape Town, Woodhill Country Club
in Johannesburg and Zimbali Golf Estate in KZN. Congratulations to our regional
winners who will represent Diners Club South Africa at the final at the
Four Seasons Resort in Mauritius from the 8th - 12th November 2010.
Cape Town winner Michael Bryant.
Johannesburg winner Steven Dave.
KZN winner Hein Koen
DINERS CLUB INTERNATIONAL PRO-AM CLASSIC 2009
The 18th Diners Club International Pro- Am Classic took place
at Fancourt, South Africa during the 3rd week of November. The tournament
included 16 teams from 13 Diners Club franchises. The winners were South
Africa.
Each DC franchise sent a team of 4 players to represent them. This included
a Professional and 3 amateurs. The tournament consisted of a practice round
and 2 competition rounds. The format was better-ball Stableford, best 2
scores from 4 to count.
In one of the closest fought Diners Club International Pro-Am Classics,
South Africa Evens managed to hold it together for just long enough to pip
a determined Colombian team to the spoils.
In incredibly windy conditions once again, especially for those teeing off
towards the back of the field it was always going to be a test on The Links.
Known as one of the best but also one of the toughest courses in South Africa
it is a credit to the quality of the field in this year’s event that
the scores were so impressive.
Finland set the pace early in the day with an 81 pushing them way up the
field and into the prizes. The Koreans quickly followed the Fins lead and
posted an incredible 83 giving them the lead on 154 for most of the day.
It was though, always going to be a battle between the last 2 groups - Colombia
Evens and South Africa Evens. In near gale force winds, tired 4 balls reached
the par 5 18th knowing that a missed putt or a slight error could prove
costly.
South Africa Evens, led by their consistent pro Paul Marks; Fadl Bassadien,
Michael Haramis and Berny Lane played the percentages and carded a solid
76. It proved enough however, with the South Africans 156 only just managing
to edge out the Colombians 155.
Our congratulations go to South Africa for their stunning victory and to
all participants in the 2009 Diners Club International Pro-Am Classic for
the warm spirit in which they competed on the golf course and drank in the
bars!
FLTR: Linda Manzini (MD, Diners Club SA), Fadl Bassadien, Mike Haramis,
Berny Lane, Paul Marks and Graham Gertz-Rombach.
RANK
TEAM
ROUND 1
ROUND 2
TOTAL
1.
SOUTH AFRICA EVENS
80
76
156
2.
COLOMBIA EVENS
80
75
155
3.
KOREA
71
83
154
4.
POLAND
74
78
152
5.
FINLAND
67
81
148
6.
PERU
72
76
148
7.
AUSTRIA
71
76
147
8.
COLOMBIA ODDS
68
78
146
9.
SLOVENIA
69
77
146
10.
SOUTH AFRICA ODDS
72
73
145
11.
RUSSIA
68
76
144
12.
ECUADOR
76
68
144
13.
CROATIA
64
74
138
14.
EGYPT ODDS
60
77
137
15.
NORWAY
64
68
132
16.
EGYPT EVENS
58
72
130
THE DINERS CLUB SILVER VASE
The Royal Johannesburg Silver Vase was first
played in 1953 and not only is it steeped in tradition but it has become
one of the most prestigious tournaments on the South African amateur circuit.
In 2001, for the first time, the tournament was sponsored by Diners Club
and the tournament has been lifted to new heights. The emphasis is on staging
a classy, meticulously run tournament on two top golf courses. Not only
is there a high quality field, but attention is paid to upholding the traditions
that are unique to golf: prize giving dinner with a guest speaker where
each participant had to wear the blazer and tie signifying their highest
golfing achievement.
The tournament is played over 36 holes - 18 on Royal Johannesburg and Kensington
Golf Club's East Course and 18 on the West Course. The field is restricted
to 90 players and is by invitation only. Invitees include the past winners,
past National players, top provincial players countrywide, top Development
Board players, Club Champions from the 7 clubs that have reciprocity with
Royal Johannesburg and Kensington and the Royal Johannesburg & Kensington
first league side.
Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club is fast becoming a legend in
the golfing community. It is the mythical story of the successful fusion
of two clubs; one club whose spirit refused to die with the death of their
golf course and the other whose golfing traditions go right back to the
first days of Johannesburg.
The two groups of members amalgamated and have forged a unified, uniquely
strong-spirited club.
The East Course was revamped in 1996 at a cost of 7 million Rand and after
the merger some 9 million Rand was spent on the West Course and 11 million
on the Clubhouse. Both courses were done by golf architect Mark Muller who
applied the same design theory to each course - he wished at all costs to
preserve the character of the courses while bringing the greens and design
features in line with modern technology and course design theory. The East
Course is consistently ranked inside the top ten golf courses in the country
and provides the sterner test of the two. Although a much friendlier option
for the members, The West Course provides little respite when set up to
entertain the country’s top amateurs.
Waylon Kukard and Hester Hahn (Diners Club)
Gavin van Aswegan and Hester Hahn (Diners Club)
Diners Club International Pro-Am Classic
- Regional Qualifiers 2009
Congratulations to our winners of the Diners
Club International Pro-Am Classic - Regional Qualifiers 2009.
Jane Ledger (Diners Club) with Cape Town winner Malcolm McFadyen.
Johannesburg winner Brian Bolton (left) with Franco Regnani (Diners
Club)
KZN winner, Andre Farrell flanked by Hester Hahn and Leane Walters
(Diners Club)
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Diners Club International Pro-Am Classic
2008 - Vila sol, Algarve, Portugal
Fltr: Simon Elliot , Mike Haramis, Andrew Walls,
Paul Marks.
The 17th Diners Club International Pro- Am
Classic took place at Vila Sol, Portugal during the 1st week of November.
The tournament included 18 teams from 16 Diners Club franchises. The winners
were South Africa.
Each DC franchise sent a team of 4 players to represent them. This included
a Professional and 3 amateurs. The tournament consisted of a practice
round and 2 competition rounds. The format was better-ball Stableford,
best 2 scores from 4 to count.
In the Portuguese sunshine South Africa held their nerve to ward off the
challenges of Brazil and Ecuador respectively. Recording an 84 to give
them an unbeatable total of 172 they were rightly crowned as the 2008
Diners Club International Pro-Am Champions.
Brazil can be very proud of their efforts as they played quality golf
throughout. With very few shots to play (combined team handicap of 5)
with they coped with the testing Vila Sol conditions admirably. They finished
second with 165 points.
Following closely behind were Korea, who after a torturously delayed journey
and therefore a curtailed practice round showed great stamina and steadiness
in carding 2 scores in the 80’s to record a total of 163.
The final team prizes went to Egypt (team 1) and Croatia both with 159
points but Egypt winning on countback.
RANK
TEAM
ROUND 1
ROUND 2
TOTAL
1.
SOUTH AFRICA
88
84
172
2.
BRAZIL
83
82
165
3.
KOREA
83
80
163
4.
EGYPT 1
74
85
159
5.
CROATIA
79
80
159
6.
RUSSIA 2
74
83
157
7.
SLOVAKIA
77
80
157
8.
NORWAY
76
80
156
9.
SWITZERLAND
75
79
154
10.
FINLAND
79
79
154
11.
RUSSIA 1
77
76
153
12.
DENMARK
76
75
151
13.
COLOMBIA
76
73
149
14.
CZECH REPUBLIC
70
77
147
15.
EGYPT 2
69
75
144
16.
ECUADOR
73
69
142
17.
AUSTRIA
66
75
141
18.
POLAND
70
69
139
2007 Diners Club International Pro-Am Classic
Fltr: SA Team 1: Roy Ramkisson (KZN),
Paul Marks (Pro), Craig van Rooyen (CT), Laurence Wernars (JHB)
Hong Kong Shine in Sun City
The golfing heritage of South Africa proved to be a huge attraction for
golfers from around the world as the biggest field in the 16 year history
of the Diners Club International Pro-Am Classic converged on Sun City to
fight out this year’s grand final.
25 teams from 19 countries and 4 continents arrived in ‘Africa’s
Kingdom of Pleasure’ to find golf courses in world-class condition
and off-course facilities of the highest possible standard. Among the competitors
in Sun City were the defending champions, Russia, two strong teams from
the host nation, six representatives from Latin America and a traditionally
strong Asian contingent from Korea and Hong Kong.
Each team comprised 3 amateur golfers who had qualified to be in Sun City
by coming through their local Diners Club business’s national qualifying
competition. To each group of amateurs was then added a Pro who was tasked
with guiding them through the golfing challenges presented by The Lost City
Golf Course and the world renowned Gary Player Country Club course, host
again in December 2007 to the multi-million dollar Nedbank Challenge. Indeed,
the Diners Club International Pro-Am Classic was to be the last event played
on the Gary Player course before its closure in preparation for the Nedbank
and the players got their first chance to sample this magnificent layout
during their practice round on 30 October.
The following day dawned with the hot African sun baking the fairways of
the Lost City course on which the 25 team field were to battle out the first
round of the Diners Club International Pro-Am Classic. But the early morning
heat soon gave way to rain as the clouds gathered over the adjoining Pilansberg
Game Reserve and after only three hours play competitors were called in
as a huge lightening storm struck.
Tournament officials called in weather forecasts from every available source
to determine if there was a chance to get the teams back onto the course
to complete the round. But it was over two hours before play got underway
again, with the course playing considerably longer after the deluge.
Conditions now suited the lower handicap amateurs and Brazil 2, made up
of two scratch men, a 3 handicap lady and their Pro Vaughn Groenweld, posted
the early lead with a formidable 88 points. While other teams struggled,
it became clear that the team from Hong Kong, inspired by English Pro Matt
Blackey, were having the round of their lives and they ultimately took the
lead after the first round with a staggering 92 points.
But with South Africa 2 (87 points), Spain and Ecuador 2 (85 points) in
close attendance and the Gary Player Course waiting to test the very best
on the following day, the outcome of the event was by no means certain.
During the final round of the Diners Club International Pro-Am Classic 2007
the whole field came to understand why this great course is consistently
rated number 1 in South Africa and is regularly listed in the Top 10 golf
courses in the world. A very real challenge for golfers of all standards,
Gary Player’s stunning design tested every aspect of each player’s
game. Scoring was far more difficult than on the previous day with only
two teams posting a total over 80 points. Korea’s effort (76 points)
saw them move up the board into 4th place and South Africa 2 (77 points)
held firm in 3rd. But it was the teams in first and second place after the
first round who were best able to perform under the most intense pressure
on the final day. Brazil 2 put up a brave show with 81 points to stand clear
as runners up but Hong Kong proved that they were worthy champions with
a second consecutive high score of the day (84 points) to give them a total
of 176 points.
As the team of William Lee, Eamon Wan and David Chan took hold of the trophy
presented by Graham Gertz-Rombach, Managing Director of Diners Club International
EMEA, their Pro, Matt Blackey paid tribute to his amateur partners’
determination – ‘These guys really deserve it’, he said,
‘They worked so hard for each other and once we were in front after
the first round they were desperate not to let it slip.’ Matt also
paid tribute to the sponsors – ‘I play in Pro-Ams all over the
world but nothing can compare to the experience we have all had here in
Sun City this week. On behalf of everyone here … a big ‘Thank
you’ to Diners Club International’
Fltr: SA Team 2: Michael Du Toit (Pro), David Wilck (CT), Niel Speres (KZN),
Pat Gaffney (JHB)
RANK
TEAM
ROUND 1
ROUND 2
TOTAL
1.
Hong Kong
92
84
176
2.
Brazil 2
88
81
169
3.
South Africa 2
87
77
164
4.
Korea
81
76
157
5.
Spain
85
71
156
6.
Ecuador 2
85
71
156
7.
South Africa 1
79
76
155
8.
Switzerland
78
75
153
9.
Slovakia
78
75
153
10.
Finland
79
71
150
11.
Croatia
77
71
148
12.
Colombia 2
84
63
147
13.
Denmark
73
71
144
14.
Egypt 1
74
70
144
15.
Czech Republic
73
70
143
16.
Ecuador 1
73
70
143
17.
Poland
76
66
142
18.
Norway
74
66
140
19.
Russia
70
69
139
20.
Brazil 1
73
64
137
21.
Colombia 1
68
67
135
22.
Egypt 2
75
53
128
23.
Slovenia
66
58
124
24.
Austria 1
60
62
122
25.
Austria 2
62
56
118
Corporate Golf Day
Diners Club recently held a Corporate Golf Day.
Congratulations to the winners, beating the field with 66 points.
Fltr: Laurence Wernars, Michael Joseph, Linda
Manzini (MD of Diners Club), Johan Nortje, Rob Brown, Hester Hahn (Events
Co-ordinator)
Previous Tournaments:
2006 Pro-Am Classic - La Manga, Spain
The 14th Diners Club International Pro-Am Classic
was held at the La Manga Club Resort in Southern Spain from Tuesday 28 February
to Saturday 4 March, 2006.
The tournament was first staged in 1992 and has since grown into one of
the biggest and most successful events on the Diners Club global calendar.
South Africa won the tournament in 2004, also held at the La Manga.
The team that represented South Africa at the 2006 Diners Club International
Pro-Am Classic in Spain was a carefully chosen South African Professional
player, Justin Hobday, and the three amateur winners of the qualifying Diners
Club Golf events: .
Chris Cottle in Cape Town at Steenberg Golf Club
Peter Everett in Johannesburg at Killarney Golf Club
Heinrich Koen in Durban at Zimabli Country Club
South Africa ended 2nd overall with Hong Kong
the winners of the Tournament.
2005 Pro-Am Classic - Dubai
The 2005 event involved 19 teams representing
countries from the Diners Club International global network.
As is the custom, each team comprises three amateurs, who have qualified
in their local countries and a professional. The team from Switzerland won
this year’s event with a total score of 123 points. They were followed
closely by Taiwan in second place and Denmark in third place.
The event began well on the Saturday with glorious sunshine for the practice
round at The Desert Course at Arabian Ranches. Despite stormy weather interrupting
play for the first tournament round on Sunday, each team managed to play
at least nine holes. The tournament then moved on to the Majlis Course at
the Emirates Golf Club on the Monday for the final 18 holes of the event.
The South African Team, although not amongst the prizes, proudly represented
our country and had a most enjoyable time.
2004 Pro-Am Classic - La Manga, Spain
Three Diners Club customers, Bruce Johnstone,
Mike Daly and Louis Norval, as well as local golf professional, Steven Shearer,
were selected to participate in the annual Diners Club International Pro-Am
Club Golf Tournament, hosted at La Manga, Spain in February 2004.
In spite of strong winds over the final 9 holes, they finished 1 point ahead
of the perennial favourites and multiple winners, Spain, who were also the
overnight leaders. The South African team always looked and conducted themselves
professionally and in true SA style, remained friendly, competitive and
confident. They proceeded to clinch the title and the Claret Trophy.
