Also announced was that Lion of Africa Insurance, South Africa's only Level 1 B-BBEE short-term insurer, would be the title sponsor of the four-round tournament, which will feature a full field of 156 of the Sunshine Tour's leading professionals. The total prize money on offer will be R2 million, with the winner's share being an impressive R317 000.
Speaking on behalf of the Sunshine Tour, chief operating officer Grant Wilson says, "We are very excited to announce the Lion of Africa Cape Town Open and are delighted that, at last, professional golf and the Sunshine Tour can make a return to Cape Town.
"It is something that we as a Tour have worked hard on for some time now and it is very satisfying to see that hard work finally coming to fruition. We would like to thank both Lion of Africa and the City of Cape Town for their support and for sharing our vision for this event."
Fred Robertson, chairman of the title sponsors Lion of Africa added, "As a leader in empowerment and transformation in the financial services sector, we are very pleased to be associated with the Cape Town Open and are proud to have been instrumental in getting top-class professional golf back to the city."
Lion of Africa Insurance CEO, Adam Samie, echoes these sentiments and says, "The sponsoring of this tournament is another significant milestone in our company's history. Hopefully, this high profile tournament will fast become a premier event on the local sporting calendar and will also serve to inspire future South African golfing talent."
Also at the launch was the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Alderman Patricia de Lille who said, "This golf tournament is a great addition to our calendar of exciting sports events. As a golf enthusiast, I'm looking forward to watching some of the stars in the game competing against local golfers.
"We aspire to host successful sports events that will bring the best sports teams and sports stars to our city. By so doing, we will empower local teams and sports professionals to learn from their more established counterparts so that they use those lessons to become champions in their professions."
The Lion of Africa Cape Town Open will be played in the week following the SA Open Championship, which should ensure that many of South Africa's top professionals who play all around the world will be available to make the trip to Cape Town to compete. Tickets, for just a R10 donation to charity per day, will be available at the gate, while pensioners and children under 16 will be admitted free.
