Focus on juniors for Papwa event
THE Central Durban Golf Club (CDGC) hopes to unearth a potential Papwa Sewgolum as it prepares for the 39th annual Memorial Tournament in honour of the legendary golfer at the end of the month.
CDGC hosts its fourth and final junior tournament of the year at the Windsor Park mashie course on Saturday. Four players from this event will be chosen to play in the memorial at Durban Country Club on Sunday, November 26.
CDGC vice-president Sunny Singh said their programme for children aged 8 to 15 years was successful, and they were in talks with sponsor Discount Build to renew the agreement for next year.
“We expect a number of junior participants for this final event as we have been focusing on regular junior development this year. We hope that someday we will see the birth of a rising Papwa from within our ranks.
“The future of golf rests in the hands of juniors. By them participating in our programmes, we will hopefully guide them away from other debilitating influences,” said Singh.
The memorial was initially billed the Papwa Memorial in honour of Sewsunker (Papwa) Sewgolum, the former Riverside caddy who rose from penury to international stardom.
The tournament was a tribute to other black golfers who overcame the odds to make their mark in this country, Singh added.
“Papwa and some others of that era blazed a trail of glory and we owe it to these legends for the interest they created in this wonderful game. By participating, we will be honouring their legacy.”
A full field is expected at the Durban Country Club for CDGC’s event. Prizes will be awarded for various categories in the A, B and C divisions, while the POST Papwa Putter, which was given to the club 39 years ago, will go to the player with the best gross overall.
For details, contact Singh at 082 491 8240, Rickey Govender at 083 459 0083 or Tony Pillay at 083 780 5403.