Edited by Bev Mortimer

St Francis Links will be hosting the $1.5-million, Skills Development Corporation (SDC) Championship from 16-19 March, a tournament that ranks high on the DP World Tour calendar.

This event purse at $1.5-million is equal to that of the SA Open and Alfred Dunhill Championship and carries the same Ryder Cup points. There will be massive televion and media coverage, plus many spectators and visitors.
The Sunshine Tour strengthened its global partnership with the DP World Tour by announcing two new DP World Tour events on the 2023 schedule in , with increased prize money and live coverage on SuperSport.
The Links is set to be part of a massive global exposure for Kouga and St Francis Bay and Cape St Francis. The many visitors are expected to boost local businesses.
The vast majority of funds to stage this event is provided by the two Tours and the title sponsor. St Francis Links has also approached event partners to enhance this wonderful event.

Here are some of the highlights one can expect:

• The Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour will co-host six events that will form part of their official schedule for 2023.
• Field size: 156 (Half Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour players)
• The official Pro-Am will be hosted on the Tuesday of tournament week.
• Programme of the week:
• Monday – Practice day
• Tuesday – Pro-Am
• Wednesday – Practice Day
• Thursday & Friday – Day 1, Day 2 professional golf tournament
• Saturday – Day 3 professional golf tournament | VIP Hospitality
• Sunday – Final round professional golf | VIP Hospitality
• The event will be an 18-hole live broadcast over all 4 days and in over 54 countries St Francis links says it is working with the municipality, tourism organisations and various role players to present an event which will also highlight our beautiful area, coastline, activities and talents.

• The course will be closed from 6 March already so that Charl, the greenkeeper, can optimise it.
  Since opening in 2006, St Francis Links has hosted tournaments at every level of play, gender and age. They have hosted the Sunshine Tour – Vodacom Origins of Golf nine times, the PGA Championship twice – with three more years to come, the Standard Bank Ladies’ Series and many SAGA/Golf RSA order of merit championships.
  The Senior Woman’s Nationals were played here, as well as the Senior Men’s Interprovincial. St Francis has also hosted tot eh EP Champs for many years.All this has contributed to the L:inks building its reputation as a great venue, not only for tournaments themselves but evertything associated with them.
  Not least, these tournaments take on even greater significance on the global stage as they offer Ryder Cup points to the European professionals competing in a Ryder Cup year. They join the Joburg Open, the Investec South African Open Championship, the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the AfriAsia Bank Mauritius Open to make it six co-sanctioned events between the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour on the latter’s 2023 Race to Dubai presented by Rolex.