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McGuigan Excited Ahead Of Challenge At Humewood Links

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Defending NMB Classic champion Doug McGuigan will use a special victory he achieved in 2022 as a driving force to land another title when the Nelson Mandela Bay Classic gets under way at Humewood Golf Club on Wednesday.

The Senior Sunshine Tour event, with prize-money of R500 000, has attracted arguably the strongest field since the inaugural event in 2021 and is sure to deliver an exciting contest from Wednesday to Friday.

The 52-year-old McGuigan went through some seriously emotional moments in his one-stroke victory over Keith Horne last year after his mother passed away on the penultimate day of the tournament.

He alluded to this as he reflected on the senior event and his chances of landing a second straight title.

“It’s always an exciting time being the defending champion of a tournament so this will be a significant week,” said McGuigan, who won eight titles on the regular Sunshine tour.

“This particular event is very strong in my heart for personal reasons, so I will use that as a driving force as well.”

He knows, however, that a particularly competitive field, that includes 2021 champion Chris Williams, will be gunning for the title.

Williams pulled off an excellent triumph in 2021, but neither he nor one of the leading senior professionals in James Kingston were in the field last year.

“The field is definitely stronger this year with players like James Kingston, Adilson Da Silva, Keith Horne and Chris Williams in the mix,” McGuigan acknowledged, “so it’s going to be a matter of trying to make a good start on Wednesday and then seeing if you can ride that momentum to pull off the victory.”

Many players will be returning to one of the country’s favourite courses in the Humewood links, which earlier this year hosted a regular Sunshine Tour event.

The course is an excellent condition and and although it may not be that testing in terms of length, the professionals all know that if the wind picks up their ball-striking ability will be under the microscope.

McGuigan is relishing the chance of another links examination.

“Humewood is definitely a favourite of mine and I normally concentrate on not trying to do anything out of the ordinary,” he said.

“The big thing for me is to see which way the wind is blowing and just to take it from there to adapt to the conditions and the shots that are required.

“For me the Humewood course has really stood the test of time – it can be a completely different golf course from one day to the next and that is just brilliant!”

Given the exciting finish to last year’s tournament, McGuigan is confident golf supporters in the region can look forward to another top-notch event.

“I have absolutely no doubt that it will be another great week again. I am really looking forward to be back at Humewood.”

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.