The Suncoast Classic, the Durban leg of the Southern Africa based Sunshine Tour, gets underway on Wednesday 19th October at Durban Country Club. It tees off with the usual pro-am event, followed by the professional tournament from Thursday 20 to Saturday 22 October, where top ranked players will battle it out on the greens for a chance at clinching up to R500,000 in prize money.



Suncoast Classic Pro-am winners in 2009 and 2010 (left to right): Former Sunshine Tour Commissioner and now CEO of Kelly Group, Gareth Tindall; Alberts Breed, Managing Executive of Vodacom KZN; Brazilian professional golfer, Adilson da Silva; and Mike Dowsley, Executive Director of Suncoast Casino & Entertainment World in Durban. Photographed by Steven Yelseth

This year contenders include defending champion Adilson da Silva, the Brazilian born player who also won in 2007 in his adopted province of Kwazulu Natal, and Louis de Jager who won his first professional tournament at the Suncoast Classic in August 2009 after going pro in 2008.

The pro-am tournament always sees a host of local high profile personalities taking to the greens in a Fourball Alliance format with professional players from across the world.

Those participating in the pro-am this year include veteran surf-ski champion Oscar Chalupsky and South African rugby personalities Andre Joubert, Wayne Fyvie and Keegan Daniel.

Also teeing off are Trish Taylor, CEO of East Coast Radio; Jesse Chellan, CEO of KZN Cricket Union; and Gareth Tindall, former commissioner of the Sunshine Tour and now CEO of the Kelly Group. 

At a dinner and awards evening to be hosted after the pro-am leg on Thursday evening, headline sponsor Suncoast Casino & Entertainment World (SUNCOAST) will donate some of the proceeds of the tournament to its primary CSI beneficiary, Vukukhanye Community Upliftment Initiatives (Vukukhanye).

Vukukhanye addresses child and family welfare amid the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the historically disadvantaged area of Chesterville, Cato Manor.

This is not the first time SUNCOAST will be using golf for good. Parent company Tsogo Sun Gaming sponsors the illustrious golf tournament, the Duke of Edinburgh Cup, and donates sizeable amounts each year to various charities looked after by its casino properties.

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About Suncoast Casino & Entertainment World, Durban

Influenced by the Art Deco style of Miami South Beach, Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World is Kwa-Zulu Natal’s leading gamer-tainment destination. It boasts unparalleled atmosphere from its location on Durban’s stretch of palm-lined beaches known as the Golden Mile and is within walking distance of the new Moses Mabhida Stadium built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. 

 SUNCOAST is the largest casino in Durban at over 7000m2, with coinless SMART technology, 1330 slot machines, 50 gaming tables, and an exclusive Salon Prive called 77 Ocean Drive for higher limit slots and tables.

SUNCOAST’s leisure, dining and retail options include 18 restaurants and fast food outlets, over 20 retailers, a grassed SUNDeck and Boardwalk leading onto the Indian Ocean, a kids’ entertainment arcade, the 8-screen Nu Metro cinema complex and the SUNCOAST Zone theatre facility.

The SUNCOAST Durban complex also includes 5-star conference and eventing service plus superior accommodation at the sea-facing Suncoast Hotel & Towers, with its Balinese-style spa and stylish Riviera Restaurant.

Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World, Durban, is owned by Tsogo Sun Gaming.