They will be among the star studded line-up of celebrity sportsmen, government officials and business leaders at the Pinnacle Point Beach and Golf Resort in Mossel Bay later this month (29 to 31 May) to raise money for charity and vie for the trophy in this year's prestigious golf tournament, the Pilsner Urquell SuperSport Shootout.
Tich Smith, last year's overall winner will be back to defend his crown along with previous finalist Shaun Pollock, colleagues Lance Klusner and Neil McKenzie will be amongst the other Proteas to beat. Chester Williams and Percy Montgomery will head the field of rugby players looking to use their World Cup winning mettle on the greens, with Shaun Barlett, Lucas Radebe and Andre Arendse and fellow footballers looking to make it a soccer player's win.
Business and government leaders include Investec CEO Sam Hackner, Brian Molefe from the Public Investment Corporation, Laurie Dippenaar - Chairman First Rand group and Romeo Khumalo from Vodacom.
Dave McGregor Pinnacle Point Group Sales and Marketing Executive says the event - which is being staged for the third consecutive year at the award winning golf course - is the most eagerly anticipated tournament on SA golf's social calendar.
"It's quite literally a tournament of champions in which captains of industry share the greens with government leaders and some of our top sportsmen. And the playing field is really 'level' as none of the invited players are professional golfers.
"The real winners, at the end of the day, are the charities who benefit from this event. The primary beneficiaries for this year's event are The Gozololo Trust and the SAB Caddies Educational Trust."
McGregor says it is heart warming to see such top level participants using this event as a conduit for their personal donations to the worthy causes.
Additional funds are raised by auctioning various sport and travel packages donated by generous individuals.
He says the Shootout has become a spectacular televised event, where golf and celebrity fans can follow their heroes on the fairways as they watch the event live on SuperSport.
"The betterball format allows for some of the higher handicap players to partner with lower handicap players and help improve their overall score as a pair. It also allows players to sit out for some holes and admire the spectacular course while their partner tackles the hole."
"Being a tournament of champions the Pilsner Urquell SuperSport Shootout is always in a constant process of improvement and we are looking to have this year's event surpass the standards of the past six years and live up to the levels of expectation of its sponsors, suppliers and participants."
"While the stage is definitely set for some heated competition between the different groups the main objective of the event is to put together like minds on an informal platform to create new business ties, renew old partnerships and to have a good time for a good cause." Says McGregor
Pinnacle Point Beach and Golf Resort is one of the top ten best new golf courses in the world and is an ideal location for this type of event, offering a challenging course and breathtaking coastal views from its signature Pinnacle Point cliffs whose beauty is unmatched world wide."
