Pearl Valley nears perfection
2009-11-19
WITH less than a month remaining before the 99th South African Open Championship, Pearl Valley Golf Estate is being primed to perfection for its hosting of this co-sanctioned European Tour and Sunshine Tour event. Under the guidance of course superintendent Mike Westman, work on the golf course is entering the final stretch ahead of the Championship from 17 to 20 December. “We have made no structural changes to the course this year, so it is pretty much the same layout the players faced last year,” said Westman. Only the 27th course to host the SA Open since 1903, and the third new course this century, this four-year-old layout also became the second youngest course in December 2007 to host the national Open. The Jack Nicklaus design underwent significant renovations in 2007 to mark its first hosting of the South African Open, including the planting of 1 600 new trees and plants, the lengthening of 13 of the holes, the installation of a new irrigation system, and the purchase of new maintenance equipment and a fleet of golf carts. “After the low scoring in 2007 we decided to play a few of the holes slightly shorter in 2008,” said Director of Golf, David Murray. “The weather played its part and thankfully we enjoyed four perfect days of sunshine.” Opened in November 2003, this par-72 layout has since staged the South African Open twice, as well as the South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship in 2008 and 2009. This year’s championship will include defending champion Richard Sterne, and young stars Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Thomas Aiken.
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