Ken Borland

A new Omoda C5 will set you back around half a million rand given the futuristic brilliance of this crossover vehicle, so it is a measure of the esteem in which the Hornbill Classic is held that this super-hybrid car was provided by the Mbombela branch of this Chinese automobile manufacturer as a hole-in-one prize.

Omoda Jaecoo Mbombela were the main sponsors of the two-day tournament at Kruger Park Lodge by Legacy Hotels and Resorts that was played for the 29^th time. The Omoda C5, full of new technological developments, was the prize for a hole-in-one on the long and challenging 194m par-three fifth hole, that has a threatening water hazard lurking on the left of the green.

While Team Wouter (Wouter du Toit, Piet Taljard, Paul Lombard & Zak Oosthuizen) claimed overall honours in the Hornbill Classic four-ball alliance, the hole-in-one prize was unfortunately not won. Oosthuizen came close to a hole-in-one, but on the par-three 16^th hole with its 150m carry over water on to a wide but shallow green.

Nico Grobler, the Omoda Jaecoo Nelspruit sales manager who also took part in the tournament, took the disappointment of not being able to give away the modern and sporty looking vehicle with good civillity.

“It would have been awesome if the car had been won, but it was nice to see all the people smiling at the hole and also chatting with us on the first, where we had a station too. Everyone heard about the prize and we’ve felt the support back already.

“There were so many brands involved in the Hornbill Classic, not just us. The tournament is about people, it’s about the community and we are part of that. It was about different communities working together and feeling at home.

“I was introduced to the Hornbill Classic by my dealer principal and it is one of the most up-and-coming events in the Lowveld. It is very nice to be part of something like this and the Omoda is a very good value-for-money vehicle, one of Chery’s upper range crossovers,” Grobler said.

GolfRSA chief executive Grant Hepburn on Friday extended an olive branch to all those in the golf industry who have been without work and frustrated golfers unable to play, saying the organisation’s patient approach to government had paid off as clubs and courses can now open for both amateurs and professionals.

The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture announced on Friday that any member of a federation, agency, club or body may begin playing golf again from Saturday, subject to certain regulations. Clubs need to complete the Confirmation of Compliance Document and submit it to GolfRSA before they can open their facilities.

“These have been incredibly difficult times with the stress of Lockdown and the number of jobs lost, and we have been aware of the frayed tempers and frustrations. We have been in the same boat with friends and colleagues losing work. But we just had to be patient, we knew government were listening to us and they had given us assurances. But it’s been a very complex time and a massive challenge for golf bodies.

“But we believed in the process we were following with the Department, they were always extremely positive and the whole way through they engaged with us in the right way. We wanted to do the right thing and we needed to wait for the new directives. The most important priority is to save lives and mitigate the risk, and the time it has taken us has allowed us to prepare and put things in place at the clubs,” Hepburn said on Friday.

The CEO warned however that golfers could not just rush out on Saturday and expect everything to be back to normal; the golf industry, which contributes R48 billion to the South African economy, would take time to become a well-oiled machine again.

“The job is not yet done, this is not about celebrating. It’s a step in the right direction but there are still many people involved in golf who still can’t put food on their table. So I hope people continue to support clubs and I know our golfers and clubs will be responsible when it comes to the scanning and the monitoring process. Through the HealthDocs app we’ve bought for all clubs, information can be sent back to government at the push of a button.

“We need to control the numbers of golfers and the times they arrive and leave, but it’s time to get busy now with saving golf clubs through the safe return of golfers, which will generate the income for them to survive and save thousands of jobs, especially of those in the vulnerable sector, which makes up 85% of the industry. We know our clubs can comply and sport can help government because exercise is good at reducing comorbidities,” Hepburn said.