$1m Women`s World Cup of Golf comes to SA

Women`s professional golf is capturing international TV audiences at a phenomenal rate. Pezula and Acer, by sponsoring and hosting the Acer Women`s World Cup of Golf at Pezula, in Knysna, South Africa, have linked themselves to this glamorous and prestigious sport.

Leading information technology company Acer, along with Pezula, the international benchmark in environmentally sensitive property development, will sponsor and host the $1 million Acer Women`s World Cup of Golf at Pezula for three years from February 2005. The event will attract 40 of the world`s leading women golfers from 20 countries. Pezula, situated on the cliffs above the eastern head of Knysna`s Lagoon is, according to people who have already bought property on the estate, "a place that simply defies description - a stunning blend of coastal cliffs, forest, beaches and lagoons; nature at its very best." It is in this setting, on the Pezula Championship Golf Course, that the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the USA Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) have, for the first time ever, agreed to jointly sanction this event.

David Drummond, Managing Director at Acer, says that Acer and Pezula have secured the three-year contract in a bid to grow women`s golfing talent.

Pezula has three kilometres of Indian Ocean waterfront and is set in coastal forest and "fynbos" (natural scrub) bordered by the Sinclair Nature Reserve, the sea and the Noetzie River. Its superb golf course and clubhouse have won many awards. Construction of The Pezula Hotel and Spa, scheduled to open in November 2004 and which will consist of a five-star, all suite hotel and luxury health spa, commences in October this year and plans are far advanced for the estate`s golf institute, tennis academy and equestrian centre.

There is a steadily increasing trend in South Africa for top business people to live away from an office setting, commuting when need be. This leads to a natural link between information technology and destinations like Pezula, as virtual offices allow instant communication globally. Acer, with a turnover of $13 billion, is one of the world`s top ten branded PC vendors, designing and marketing IT solutions. The products include desktop and mobile PCs, servers and storage, displays, peripherals, and e-business solutions for business, government, education, and home users.

Established in 1976, the pan Acer Group employs 39,000 people supporting dealers and distributors in over 100 countries.

However, the synergy between Acer and Pezula was also spurred by both companies` desire to showcase South Africa as the world`s greatest golfing destination, and to grow African economies via this investment.

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"A percentage of the event`s proceeds will go to the Acer Girls Golf Programme, an initiative that is geared to empowering women worldwide," says Drummond. It is not surprising, says Stewart, that women` s professional golf is on the rise and breaking all television audience viewing records.

"In Europe more than two million women are registered golfers. Events are watched in over 250 million households. Together with Acer we will take the pristine beauty of Pezula, where manicured fairways blend into bush and forest, and greens perch on cliffs high above the sea, on a television trip around the world." Women`s golf is appealing to television broadcasters.

The once staid image has been replaced by high fashion. As with women` s tennis, which is also growing, many of the emerging players would be as comfortable on the cat walk as in the heat of competition. One repercussion is that many men are now women`s golf fans, as well as non-golfers who merely appreciate the attractive golf locations.

The women`s tours in America and Europe visit some of the most beautiful destinations in the world, and Pezula is likely to surpass all of them. "I have been very fortunate to play on many of the world`s most scenic courses. I can honestly say that none match Pezula. It`s a sentiment shared by all the overseas visitors that play our golf course" says Stewart.

Stewart predicts that with the television interest the coastal strip known as the Garden Route, with Knysna as its centre, will soon become the world`s most popular golfing holiday destination. "We are only four highway hours from Cape Town, and the Garden Route area has two airports, servicing all the major SA cities," says Stewart. "In addition we have many other fabulous courses besides Pezula. Ernie Els has designed a great one a few kilometres away along the coast. The area is also hosting the President` s Cup, scheduled for November this year, with a dozen top Americans, including Tiger Woods, going up against the rest of the world, excluding Europe. To my mind our women`s event will ensure intense golf focus on South Africa for another four years, at least."

The recent Solheim Cup in Sweden perfectly demonstrates the popularity and pulling power of women`s golf, says Stella Helwick, Acer Marketing Manager, who watched the tournament. "Weeks before the event the 80 000 tickets on offer were sold out. Television audiences in America and Europe still have to be calculated, but another record would not surprise me." Last year two Australian women golf events again demonstrated the massive interest in the sport. The ANZ Ladies Masters out-rated men`s golf during the same weekend, and the AAMI Australian Open had more Australian viewers than the Formula One Grand Prix. In fact 23 percent of the nation watched the ladies stride the fairways.