International rivalry was the order of the day, as the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) Presidents Cup saw a team of South African golf tour operators take on their American counterparts over two days, at Legend Golf & Safari Resort, in the Limpopo Province.

Legend Golf & Safari Resort�s five-star venue provided the perfect setting for the event, which took the form of two parts, with the first day�s Extreme 19th challenge acting as a pre-cursor to the main event: 18 holes of better-ball Stableford on the resort�s signature course, in a Presidents Cup-style format.

The competition is based on the world-renowned golf team event that takes place every two years and pits a team of internationals against a team from the USA. Whilst the likes of Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Tim Clark have flown the flag for South Africa as members of the international team over the past decade, on this occasion, the country was represented by some of South Africa�s top golf tour operators.

Legend Golf & Safari Resort was proud to host the first leg of an event that also takes in Johannesburg�s Blair Atholl, St Francis Links in the Eastern Cape and Knysna�s Simola and Pezula.

The action got underway at Legend Golf & Safari Resort�s Extreme 19th, the hole that has the international golf community talking, with its breathtaking beauty and unrivalled challenge.

With its tee perched on the Hanglip Mountain, those who choose to take on the world�s longest par-three, are faced with the difficult prospect of trying to hit an African continent-shaped green, with the hole measuring approximately 400 metres, both horizontally and vertically. Not fazed by the challenge ahead, both the South African and American teams performed creditably, with Legend Golf & Safari Resort�s golf director, David Riddle, deciding on a format that saw the best six scores count, from each team of 12. The competition was fierce, but the South Africans, led by Legend Golf & Safari Resort chief executive Peet Cilliers, edged it, to draw first blood.

Both teams enjoyed a gala dinner in the evening and, with their pride somewhat dented, the Americans came out firing the next morning, as the two teams of 12 faced up to each other in the Stableford format. To their credit, though, the South Africans held firm. With St Francis Links� chief executive, Jeff Clause, rallying the troops and South African Tourism chairman Jabu Mabuza revelling in the competition, the home side proved a tough nut to crack.

As it turned out, five of the six matches went all the way to the final green and there was very little to separate the two teams. It was perhaps fitting, then, that the scores finished 3-3, setting the Presidents Cup up for an exciting finish, as the two teams departed Legend Golf & Safari Resort, after a memorable couple of days and headed to Johannesburg for the second leg at Blair Atholl.

ENDS

Information for media For more information, contact Dylan Rogers on + 27 71 670 6667 or dylrogers@gmail.com.

For more information about Legend Golf & Safari Resort go to www.legendgolfsafari.com

Images of Legend Golf & Safari are available to download, please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/azaleagroup/sets/72157622624939320/ About the Legend Lodges, Hotels & Resorts group The Legend portfolio encompasses the rich diversity of Southern Africa: her people, culture, breathtaking scenery and abundant bird, marine and animal life. Legend Lodges, Hotels & Resorts, with its head office based in Pretoria, features game and safari lodges, country lodges, coastal hotels & lodges, city and town hotels and cultural villages and shebeens. The group operates throughout South Africa and in Mozambique.