Golf |01 September 2022

The signing of the agreement (Photo: Contributed)

Absa Seychelles and SGF agree to bolster international recognition for local golfers

Absa Bank Seychelles Limited and the Seychelles Golf Federation on Saturday signed a sponsorship agreement, enabling the federation, through a National Order of Merit programme, to finance national golf competitions as well as international competitions.

This will effectively allows Seychellois golfers to build up enough points to eventually become professional athletes.

Held at the Seychelles golf course, the agreement was signed by Asba retail banking director Fabiola Horner and chairman of the Seychelles Golf Federation (SGF) Michael Lavigne.

Mrs Horner said Absa Seychelles is proud to yet again be part of such a monumental step towards taking our local golfers to the next level.

She noted that the Absa Mug tournament will not only help spotlight the best players for the month, but also give us an opportunity to partner with the Seychelles Golf Federation to bring possibilities of expansion and growth for many of our local golfers.

“Over the past 47 years, we have worked with the SGF to increasingly grow the profile of the Monthly Mug and prestigious McQueen tournaments, transforming them into a great asset, not only for the golfing community but also for the country,” said Mrs Horner who further added that the Absa golf competitions are one of the biggest golfing events in Seychelles and have contributed immensely to the promotion of golf within the country and very soon internationally.

On behalf of the SGF, Mr Lavigne said the federation was determined to find a headline sponsor to enable them to run comprehensive tournament programmes as well as a national order of merit which would help it select players from across the country for international tournaments.

“It is a pleasure to announce that Absa Seychelles has agreed to come on board as the main sponsor for the Seychelles Golf Federation,” added Mr Lavigne who also noted that following the agreement, Absa Seychelles will take a more prominent role during the execution of all SGF tournaments including the traditional Absa Mug competition.

He added that these tournaments will be amalgamated into the national order of merit and Absa’s presence will also be seen on the apparel of players representing Seychelles in September, when a team of four golfers will compete in the All Africa Teams Tournament in Egypt.

The signing took place as a prelude to the much anticipated Absa Monthly Mug Golf tournament, an intense competition with over 25 golfers battling it out to claim the trophy.

This usually culminates into the final McQueen Medal, sponsored by Absa Bank Seychelles, at the end of the year that will pit the 12 Absa Monthly Mug winners from the preceding 12 months against one another to see who the ultimate champion will be.

The event has a loyal following of players, bringing together both the younger and older generations with players ranging from 15 years old up to the oldest player at 80 years old, and both are frequent competition winners.

This month’s winner of the Absa Mug is Darren Roberts with a 63 nett, followed by Caroline Bradley in second place with a 66 nett and Michele Risoli in third place with a 67 nett.

The winners from this tournament will then come together on the golf course with other winners from the monthly Absa Mug competitions to battle it out for the tournament’s finale – the Absa McQueen Medal.

It is worth noting that the McQueen’s medal golf competition is among one of the most anticipated tournaments in the country.

This golf sponsorship remains the longest running partnerships in any sport in the country and has been taking place since 1975.

Absa Bank has remained a steadfast supporter of the event and has proudly continued this legacy stewarded by the organisation.

Absa Bank (Seychelles) Limited is part of Absa Group Limited, an African financial services group that aims to be the pride of the continent. Formerly known as Barclays Bank (Seychelles) Limited, the bank has operated in Seychelles for over 60 years.

The bank rebranded to Absa on February 10, 2020. Absa is a truly African brand, inspired by the people we serve and determined to always be brave, passionate and ready so that we can make our continent proud.

Contributed by Absa Bank (Seychelles)