Member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class and Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club Mandla Dlamini has hailed the launch of the Blue Label Development Tour.

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The first 18-hole event teed off at the Waterkloof Golf Club last week.

Dlamini said the event would accelerate the development of young players such as himself.

Dlamini, who is in his Sunshine Tour rookie season, said innovations such as the Blue Label one-day events are a perfect platform for younger players to hone their skills while earning money.

“This is great because we like to play every week,” said Dlamini.

“To have this series means we get to play competitively more often and that helps to keep the level of golf at a proper standard.

“It’s also great for the guys who aren’t able to play as often as they would like to play on the Sunshine Tour or Big Easy. These events will build confidence and whoever wins here will take that confidence into the Big Easy and maybe the Sunshine Tour.”

The Blue Label Development Tour marks an expansion of playing opportunities for recognised development professionals who will be drawn from the Altron Big Easy Tour, the Sunshine Tour Qualifying Schools, the Altron Vusi Ngubeni Tournament and the Sunshine Tour Luno Order of Merit under various categories of eligibility.

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There will be prize money of R50 000 for each of the 10 one-day tournaments of the Blue Label Development Tour and Dlamini and many of his peers will be eager to get going when the first event tees off in Pretoria.

“I haven’t had the greatest of starts to the season,” he said.

“It’s my first season and I’m learning quickly. I’m developing and I think this series will help speed up that process.

“I’m looking forward to the entire series and continuing to grow and develop into the player I know I can be, and I know playing tournaments like these will do me good.”

The establishment of the tour represents another significant milestone toward the Sunshine Tour’s development objectives.

It marks an expansion of Blue Label’s existing investment in the Sunshine Tour through the hosting of the Blue Label Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club.

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“Blue Label has provided the perfect example of how we can work together to truly unlock the greatness in all facets of the professional game,” said the commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, Thomas Abt, during the series launch.

All 10 tournaments in the series will be played in Gauteng and there will be no entry fees required from the participating players.