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| Maha Haddioui from Morocco |
The 2013 South African Women’s Open will make history when it welcomes the world’s first Arab female professional golfer to the 19-21 April tournament at Southbroom Golf Club.
Morocco’s Maha Haddioui is amongst the players from 27 countries that will be represented in a tournament co-sanctioned with the WPGA and the Ladies European Tour. Haddioui will be playing in only her second tournament on the Ladies European Tour.
“I’m really looking forward to playing in South Africa. This will be my first time in the country. I have a lot of friends who visited South Africa and I’ve heard a lot of wonderful comments about it. I have a friend who went to South Africa for two weeks and ended up staying for two months playing different courses. I’ve been told that the golf courses are fantastic and that the landscapes are amazing. It’s a very diverse country and I’m excited to learn more about its culture and visit Durban and the area,” she said.
Haddioui grew up next to a golf course in Morocco and played College golf in America before turning professional in 2010. She played a few tournaments on sponsor’s invites, but gained her full Ladies European Tour card at Tour School last December.
“I really want to focus on my confidence, with this being only my second tournament. I’m hitting the ball well so hopefully the putts start dropping and I can make a top 15,” she said.
The field for this year’s South African Women’s Open will also include two former Ladies European Tour Order of Merit champions in South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace and France’s Gwladys Nocera, multiple winners such as Wales’ Becky Brewerton and England’s Trish Johnson, as well as Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods.
An increased purse of €290 000 will be on offer in South Africa’s oldest women’s professional tournament, with the winner taking home €43 500.
ABOUT THE SA WOMEN’S OPEN
The SA Women’s Open is the premier tournament on the South African women’s professional golf calendar, dating back to 1988.
It is a 54-hole stroke play professional tournament co-sanctioned by the Women’s Professional Golf Association and the Ladies European Tour, with World Sports Promotions as the commercial rights owners.
The 2013 tournament will be played over 54 holes at Southbroom Golf Club in KwaZulu-Natal, with the leading South African professionals competing against an international field for total prize money of €290 000.00.
