WEDNESDAY, 12.30PM:
The long-awaited World Golf Tour is likely to become a reality when the commissioners of the world’s big five — US, Europe, Japan, Australia and South African tours — meet in Houston, Texas on October 29 to finalise arrangements.
The South African PGA Tour commissioner Arnold Mentz, who leaves for the US on Monday to participate in the announcement of the project, refused to disclose details, but said all the information will be made public on October 29. “All the details will be released from Texas on the 29th and I don’t want to pre-empt the announcement, but the initial format will be the four events,” he said.
Mentz was referring to the initial format, which would involve a world mini-tour of four events to be played on a rotational basis at venues throughout the five tour areas — starting from 1999.
Mentz denied speculations that the South African Tournament could be one of the four events on the itinerary. “I cannot say too much about it at this stage,” he said.
SPORT BRIEFS
DANE LEADS BOLAND TOUR SOUTH AFRICA’S Robert Hunt, who finished fourth and top-placed South African in the Boland Bank cycling tour in Vredenburg on Tuesday, accused his fellow countrymen of failing to help him in his moment of need. “When the one TVM rider [Sevais Knaven] went away in the final kilometre everyone just sat and watched. I was the quickest of the South Africans in the sprint, but they didn’t do anything to help me,” he fumed. “I had to go after him and then I just blew. I had nothing left.” Dane Lars Michaelson took the overall lead in the tour after finishing third in the 152,90km stage between Malmesbury and Vredenburg on Tuesday.
SA GOLFERS TRAIL SOUTH AFRICA were lying joint fifth — 11 shots behind leaders England — at the end of the first round of the 72-hole Commonwealth youths golf tounament at Longniddry, Scotland on Tuesday — courtesy of Roux Butger, who hit a four-over-par 72 and Pieter Botha’s 73 and Jaco van Zyl a 76.
U12 FOR TOURNEY FOUR Under-12 players from the South African Tennis Association’s development prgramme — Bulelani Makawula (Gugulethu), Darius Mohale (Nothern Province), Nadia Solomons and Roxanne Clarke (Cape Town) — will participate in a tennis tournament in Mauritius from October 30 to November 2.
BOWLS INTERPROVINCIALS PORT Natal bowls team on Tuesday morning beat Border 5-2 and in the afternoon collected seven points against Northern Free State in front of home crowd in the Absa Insurance Brokers men’s provincial bowls championships in Durban.
GERNMAN FRIENDLY ON The friendly game between Bafana Bafana and Germany will go ahead as planned despite the fact that at least 12 players will not be available due to the Rothmans Cup semi-finals to be played that weekend. South African Football Association vice-president Irvin Khoza said: “We will embrace this opportunity to blood in new players and test them against the Germans.” Khoza said all the overseas-based internationals will be available for selection. “Barker can still call up the likes of David Nyathi and Fani Madida if he needs more international experience,” added Khoza.*