First Car Rental Drives 2013 South African Women’s Open

Southbroom, South Africa, April 21, 2013 --(PR.com)-- The 2013 South African Women's Open is being held at Southbroom Golf Club from 19-21 April with bigger prize money and a larger, stronger international field.

This tournament is co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the Women's Professional Golf Association (WPGA). The tournament will be played over 54 holes of stroke play. The player with the lowest combined aggregate score will be declared the winner.

The field will consist of 108 players, made up of 70 Ladies European Tour members, 23 WPGA members, 10 South African amateurs from the WGSA Order of Merit and 5 Promoter invitations.

First Car Rental is sponsoring 5 mini-busses and vehicles over the 3 days that will be used to transport players and officials.

Says Melissa Storey, Executive Head: Strategy, Development & Marketing at First Car Rental, “This is tremendous opportunity not only for First Car Rental but also for KwaZulu-Natal Hibiscus Coast Municipality and South Africa as a whole. This is a high profile, well-attended event by the world’s top golfing professionals, and it is our privilege to sponsor and assist where we can. It is vital that our players, established and amateur, get to play against the best in the world in their own backyard.”

Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the Women's Professional Golf Association (WPGA), players from at least 20 countries will be represented, including defending champion Caroline Masson of Germany and a strong South African contingent of Lee-Anne Pace, Tandi Cunningham, Ashleigh Simon, Stacy Bregman and Nobuhle Dlamini.

Says Lesley Copeman of promoters World Sports Promotions "We had such a good response to the 2012 tournament after its absence from the schedule for so many years, and we are delighted with the kind of growth we have been able to achieve and which will be showcased in this year’s event.”

The 2013 South African Women’s Open will invite amateur South African players as part of the event’s development drive in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal local government and the Hibiscus Coast Municipality.

“It's extremely important for the development of the South African women's game at a professional and amateur level that we have a strong South African Women's Open on our schedule, and which can offer our players an opportunity to compete against international competition," said Margie Whitehouse, Chairman of the Women’s Professional Golf Association.

The South African Women's Open dates back to 1988 and its return to the Ladies European Tour (LET) schedule in 2012 is widely welcomed as an integral part of bringing top international women's golf back to South African fairways.