Mr. Joshua Mortoti, Executive Vice President and Head of West Africa of Goldfields has disclosed that the winner of this year’s, 10th edition of the Goldfields PGA will take home 80,000ghc.
Speaking to the press at a brief but impressive meeting on Friday, he expressed delight to launch the 10th anniversary edition of the annual Gold Fields PGA championship, which marks a major milestone in our journey to promote professional golf in Ghana.
He noted that the tournament will be held from 29 November to 2 December at 18-hole Damang golf course which is owned by Goldfields.
“Thirty-three (33) Ghanaian regular pros and nine foreign regular pros from Togo, Cote D’Ivoire, Zimbabwe and Nigeria will be competing for the coveted 10th anniversary champion title and bragging rights. They all qualified through the ‘Road to Damang’ competitions, which were held during the year.
We have also invited 18 senior pros, made up of 17 Ghanaians and one Nigerian, to participate in the competition” he said
Mr. Mortoti was excited to announce that the anniversary tournament will welcome the first group of female golfers who aspire to become pros.
“They will play for three days and be awarded trophies. They will, however, not receive cash prizes. We hope that the opportunity to participate in this competition will provide them with practical experience, which will sharpen their talent and propel their careers in golf. As we always do, our special invited guests will join the amateur competition on Friday, 1 December” he added.
He tipped the 2022 champion, Kojo Barnni from the Tarkwa Golf Club to defending his title against pro golfers including Vincent Torgah, Emos Korblah, Lucky Ayisah and Francis Torgah.
According to the Vice President, the total cash prize is 385,000 Cedis, an increase from the 2022 cash prize of 346,000 Cedis. The regular pro champion will take home 80,000 Cedis, an increase from last year’s 60,000 Cedis. The senior pro champion will also receive 30,000 Cedis, up from the 20,000 Cedis received last year.
“Gold Fields has been the headline sponsor of the tournament since it began in 2014. During the past decade, we have nurtured pro golfers in Ghana and across Africa by providing an opportunity for them to showcase their talents on the golf course, promote their careers and improve their chances of competing in international tournaments. Even when the pandemic struck in 2020, we safely managed to keep this tournament alive, ensuring that it thrives because of its recognition as one of Ghana’s major golf championships, which pro golfers looked forward to every year” he emphasized.
“Considering the advancement of the championship and the exceptional talents it has unearthed and groomed over the years, it is no surprise that other major sponsors would be interested in coming onboard to help raise its prominence and transform it into the most prestigious golf event in the country. Therefore, the PGA will be announcing a major sponsor for subsequent tournaments in due course” he said.
He thanked sponsors, Engineers and Planners, Genser Energy, Total Energies, Gaso Petroleum, Liebherr Ghana, Carmeuse, Barbex, Classic Cristken and AECI Ghana.
He also appreciated the media for the great coverage they continue to give to the Gold Fields PGA tournament each year.
“We believe that the media has a major role to play in making golf a popular, exciting and profitable sport in Ghana. We need your support to put the spotlight on Ghanaian pro golfers, so they can expand their careers beyond Ghana and compete in international golf tournaments” he said.
Mr. Hans De-Beer said that Damang has the best golf course in Ghana and they will continue to invest in the sport.
Mr. Ahmed Padori, competition director also educated some media men on the scoring in professional golf.
Frederick Marfo is a sportswriter and social worker well known for his advocacy for equal chances and rights for all athletes, especially those with disabilities.
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