The Volvo World Golf Challenge took place recently at Durban Country Club in South Africa and two Irishmen were amongst the field of 74 qualifiers from around the world.
Irish qualifiers Tom O Donoghue and Seamus Lanagan had the opportunity to play with star professionals from the European Tour.
The World Final at Zimbali took place in January in parallel with the first of Volvo’s three prestigious professional events on the European Tour, the Volvo Golf Champions. Staged just down the road at the historic Durban Country Club, this exclusive championship actually joins forces with the amateur event the leading 19 finishers from the World Final each team up with two of the stars of the European Tour in Playing With The Pros. This is the most exclusive and talked-about prize in club golf, and it has helped to make the Volvo World Golf Challenge the leading such event in golf.
Seamus Lanagan Glenlo Abbey Golf Club County Galway (on the left hand side of the picture)
Tom O Donoghue Heritage Golf Club Killlenard County Laois Seamus Lanagan Glenlo Abbey Golf Club County Galway (to the right of Seamus)
Golf Digest held 13 Qualifiers at many prestigious golf courses around Ireland in which over 2500 golfers took part. The Golf Digest Volvo Grand Final took place at Carton House in county Kildare where 45 participants split between two competitions took part in what was a hotly contested tournament.
The national winners Tom O Donoghue and Seamus Langan flew to the world final in Durban South Africa where they enjoyed:
The 36-hole Volvo World Golf Challenge played at the Zimbali Country Club Course in Durban.
The chance to Play With The Pros over the challenging Links Course during the Volvo Golf Champions
The chance to watch the Volvo Golf Champions up close and rub shoulders with the stars
The golfing experience of a lifetime
Both Tom and Seamus were lucky to rub shoulders with many Pros such as David Howell, Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomery
Tom O Donoghue commented: “Simply put this was one of the greatest weeks of my life. The entire event was run with the utmost professionalism and it provided amateur golfers with an opportunity like no other. I would have loved to have qualified to “play with the pro” but this did not detract from my week in Durban. I would highly recommend the Golf Digest Volvo Open to all my friends and I would go as far to say I will be a Volvo customer for the rest of my life. It was an experience like no other and I wish to thank everyone involved from Volvo for making it so special for me
As usual, the competition took place the day after the climax of the Volvo World Golf Challenge. The World Final of this prestigious event had seen 74 national winners from almost 50 markets compete in a 36-hole competition just a short way up the eastern coast of South Africa at the beautiful Zimbali Golf Resort. Making it to the final is a fantastic treat in itself, but the chance of a place in Playing With The Pros is the icing on a very fine cake.
The Volvo Golf Champions is the European Tour’s curtain-raiser and true ‘tournament of champions’. This elite event is open only to proven winners, recent or multiple, and this means that with one amateur teaming up with two Pros, the number of places is strictly limited. This year’s field of Major Champions, Ryder Cup heroes, long-term winners and emerging stars meant that 19 finalists would get to fulfil a dream.
The Volvo World Golf Challenge has evolved into a global event for club golfers which is continuing to grow, year on year. It is truly multi-national, beginning at home and culminating in a celebration of golf at the annual World Final; an event where golfing dreams really do come true
