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Els's mom opens Junior Series

Johannesburg - Hettie Els, mother of South Africa’s number one golfer Ernie Els, will host the first event of the 2011 Glacier by Sanlam Junior Series in January.

The series comprises 30 one-day regional junior tournaments countrywide, each named after a leading South African golf or prominent member of the golf industry.

The Hettie Els Tournament will be played on 5 January at Kempton Park Golf Club, the club where the three-time Major champion played most of his junior golf.

Els said he was delighted that his mother would be launching the series.

“I am very proud that the Glacier Junior Series is honouring my mother in this way. My mom represents every mother of every junior golfer out there and I hope her involvement will remind everyone just how important supportive parents are.

“Mothers, especially, are the driving force of the family. My own mother has meant so much to me in my career. She is an amazing person and I wonder where I would have been if it weren’t for her support.”

Els, who claimed his fifth South African Open Championship by one shot from Retief Goosen at Durban Country Club on Sunday, is also sponsoring his own tournament on the series at Oubaai Golf Club in June.

“I think it’s very important that companies like Glacier by Sanlam put money back into the roots of golf,” he said. “These events will provide our future stars with a wonderful platform to gain competitive experience and improve and that is the way forward to keep junior golf alive.”

The Glacier Junior Series is open to all members of the South African Junior Golf Foundation. The winner of each regional event qualifies for the national final in October and the overall champion will be sponsored to compete in the prestigious Orange Bowl Junior Invitational in Florida.

“The Glacier Junior Series is such a fantastic concept,” said Hettie Els. “It really gives our young golfers a consistent platform where they can learn to compete and I am very honoured to host the first event in this series.”

“I believe the parents of all our future stars, and the mothers in particular, have an important part to play in supporting our children to fulfil their dreams. But we also have to keep them grounded in reality. When things don’t work out, we are the ones who have to provide the encouragement and send them off to fight another day.”

Two-time Major winner Goosen and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen have also thrown their support behind the series alongside a host of top South African professionals and golf industry leaders, including James Kingston, Charl Schwartzel, Richard Sterne, Sally Little, John Bland, as well as Dale Hayes, businessman Selwyn Nathan and Sunshine Tour rules official Theo Manyama.

Glacier Junior Series 2011 schedule:

5 January – Hettie Els Tournament: Kempton Park GC, Eastern Gauteng
27 February – The Golf School of Excellence Tournament: Kyalami CC, Central Gauteng
6 March – Selwyn Nathan Tournament: St Francis Links, Eastern Province
27 March – Ivano Ficalbi Tournament: Gardener Ross Golf Estate, Gauteng North
28 March – James Kingston Tournament: Rustenburg GC, North West
31 March – Jannie Ackerman Tournament: Witbank GC, Mpumalanga
2 April – Dale Hayes Tournament: West Bank GC, Border
3 April – Dave Usendorff Tournament: Ebotse Golf Estate, Eastern Gauteng
6 April – Peter Matkovich Tournament: Umhlali Golf Club, KwaZulu-Natal
8 April – Papwa Sewgolum Tournament: Durban CC, KwaZulu-Natal
10 April – Compleat Golfer Tournament: Steenberg Golf Estate, Western Cape
26 April – Charl Schwartzel Tournament: Maccauvlei GC, Central Gauteng
2 May – Dale Hayes Tournament: Mt. Edgecombe Golf Estate, KwaZulu-Natal
22 May – Andrew McLardy Tournament: Randpark GC, Central Gauteng
12 June – Ernie Els Tournament: Oubaai GC, Southern Cape
26 June – Dale Hayes Tournament: Zwartkop CC, Gauteng North
30 June – Robbie Stewart Tournament: ERPM GC, Eastern Gauteng
2 July – Retief Goosen Tournament: Polokwane GC, Limpopo
3 July – Richard Sterne Tournament: Erinvale Golf Estate, Western Cape
4 July – Sally Little Tournament: Royal Cape GC, Western Cape
5 July – Theo Manyama Tournament: Paarl GC, Boland
10 July – John Bland Tournament: Irene CC, Gauteng North
14 July – Jean Hugo Tournament: Stellenbosch GC, Boland
15 July – Dale Hayes Tournament: Mowbray GC, Western Cape
31 July – Dennis Bruyns Tournament: Bryanston CC, Central Gauteng
7 August – Hendrik Buhrmann Tournament: Schoeman Park GC, Free State
14 August – Joseph Phiri Tournament: Nelspruit GC, Mpumalanga
21 August – Dale Hayes Tournament: The Hill GC, Eastern Province
28 August – Louis Oosthuizen Tournament: Mossel Bay GC, Southern Cape
18 September – Thomas Aiken Tournament: Wanderers GC, Central Gauteng
5-7 October – National Final: Pecanwood Golf Estate, North West
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