HOYLAKE (England) — The R&A announced on Wednesday that the first African Amateur Championship would be held at Leopard Creek in South Africa from February 21-24, 2024.
The championship will see 72 men representing the African region compete in a stroke-play format of 72 holes. The winner receives an exemption to the 152 and Open held at Royal Troon.
During the week preceding the championship, a 20-woman invitational will be held on the site.
Martin Slumbers said at a press event that it was a “hugely exciting initiative” for African Golf. It is the last continent in the world to have its own championships.
The R&A has already organized amateur championships in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa. The new championship will allow African players to compete at the highest levels and create a path for them to grow and inspire others.
The R&A established an Africa High Performance Program last year, which was delivered to African players and coaches as part of their efforts to promote golf in Africa and to support players who aspire to achieve elite levels.
Slumbers stated in a release that “we are creating a platform of world-class competition for the most talented amateurs golfers from Africa to compete and achieve their goals in the sport.” Slumbers said in a press release that “we have seen talented players emerging from the continent, with three recent British Amateur Championship winners, including Christo lamprecht at Hillside, last month. We hope in the coming years we will see golfers following in the footsteps Bobby Locke and Gary Player and Nick Price and Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen, who won The Open and AIG Women’s Open.
Since 2004, the Alfred Dunhill Championship has been held at Leopard Creek. Previous winners include Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel and others.
