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Cape Town - South Africa’s most successful cricket captain, Graeme Smith, has confirmed his place in a stellar field of pros and celebrities who will tee it up for charity in the Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola at The Lost City Golf Course at Sun City from November 12-15, 2015.
The former Proteas cricket captain will join the global field of professionals, celebrities and business leaders in a Union of Golf and Giving.
Smith is the most successful cricket Test captain of all time, winning 53 of the 109 Tests in which he led the Proteas. After becoming South Africa’s youngest captain at the age of 22, he went on to claim the world record for captaining in the most Tests.
Smith will make his debut in the tournament and as part of a South African sports captain’s trio including fellow cricketer Mark Boucher and footballer Aaron Mokoena.
Boucher captained the Proteas in four Tests and returns to the Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola seeking his second victory after being on the winning team in 2003.
Mokoena captained Bafana Bafana and made 107 international appearances for his country. He also played for Blackburn Rovers, Portsmouth and Bidvest Wits. Mokoena returns hoping to successfully defend the title he won with tournament host Gary Player in 2014.
They will be joined by world-renowned musicians Ronan Keating and Brian McFadden, and radio and television personalities Thomas Msengana and Johnathan Joseph, also known as DJ Spoony.
The professionals in the star-studded field include a first-time appearance by Wayne Player, the son of tournament host Gary Player, as well as French stars Jean van de Velde and Thomas Levet, South Africa’s Richard Sterne, and Ladies European Tour players Emma Cabrera-Bello, Danielle Montgomery and Carly Booth.
Montgomery, Cabrera-Bello and Booth, a two-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, are regular supporters of the Gary Player Invitational.
“This is such a super mix of participants and we are truly humbled by the response we have received from everyone. This has been such a busy year on a number of fronts and it really means a lot that our friends have taken time out of their schedules to be with us and help us raise money for The Player Foundation. I am sure this is going to be one of our most memorable tournaments in history,” said GPI series founder Marc Player, CEO of Black Knight International.
PARTICIPANTS FOR THE GARY PLAYER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA
Gary Player
Wayne Player
Richard Sterne
Jean van de Velde
Thomas Levet
Carly Booth
Ronan Keating
Mark Boucher
Aaron Mokoena
Brian McFadden
Danielle Montgomery
Johnathan Joseph
Graeme Smith
Thomas Msengana
Emma Cabrera-Bello
For more information on the Gary Player Invitational, visit www.garyplayerinvitational.com and follow @GPInvitational on Twitter - #GOLFandGIVING
