Two from SA for Mauritius footgolf
LOUIS Oosthuizen may have one of the best swings in golf, but at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at the end of this month his football skills will also be tested when he and three fellow professionals take on four former legends of Liverpool Football Club in a game of footgolf.
The South African will join a team of four professional golfers, including countryman George Coetzee, who will play a game of footgolf at The Heritage Golf Club with Liverpool’s Ian Rush, Gary McAllister, Vladimir Smicer and Patrik Berger on the Monday of the tournament.
Oosthuizen is making his debut in this ß1-million (R16.5-million) tournament, which will be played at The Heritage Golf Club from Thursday next week to December 3 and which is co- sanctioned by the European Tour, Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour.
The Heritage Golf Club is home to Mauritius’s first footgolf circuit.
Oosthuizen and his fellow pros will take on the Liverpool legends over the nine-hole footgolf course using a size 5 soccer ball.
The aim is the same as in golf – get the ball into the hole in the least amount of shots (or kicks).
The golf pros will be delighted to know that the hole is significantly larger – 53cm wide.
The Liverpool players are just as excited about the challenge.
“It’s going to be great being back in Mauritius and to bring more of my fellow Liverpool players to experience the hospitality of the country, the passion of the fans and the golf course at Heritage Resorts,” Rush said.
Smicer said: “I was there last year on holiday with my family. It’s a beautiful place.”
And Berger is equally excited about the experience: “I cannot wait to meet the fans and play golf in Mauritius.”
The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open fans will also have the opportunity of testing their footgolf skills.
Tournament sponsor Emtel is running a competition in which four fans can win places on a team to play the professionals.
The footgolf will be the lead-in to what will be the biggest field in the history of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
Since its debut in 2015, this tournament has grown significantly and will this year feature an expanded field of 156 professionals.
The field will be led by 2010 Open champion and current world No 22 Oosthuizen and former European Ryder Cup captain and 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke.