Hundreds of golfers and fans from around the world will be here later this week.
The grand event will be the Sir Garfield Sobers Festival of Golf – in honour of Barbados’ only living National Hero and the man hailed universally as the “greatest cricketer the world has ever seen”.
The tournament is open to amateur golfers, and organizers said it was fully booked with over 280 players set to tee off.
Among those signed up is the legendary West Indies batsman Brian Lara, cricket’s double world record holder.
Speaking at the launch at the Sandy Lane Country Club Friday, Sir Garfield said he was pleased with the way the event has grown and was looking forward to a fun-filled yet competitive four days of action.
It runs from Thursday to Sunday, and will be played at the Barbados Golf Club, Sandy Lane, Apes Hill and Royal Westmoreland.
“We have some fantastic golf courses on this island and I am pleased that we will be able to play the tournament on some of them,” Sir Garfield said.
“Many people are coming to the island to play and enjoy what this lovely country has to offer, and as patron, it gives me great pleasure to be part of such a great event for another year.”
Sir Garfield is known for having held the Test record of 365 not out from 1958 to 1994 when it was broken by Lara, as well as being the first player to hit six sixes in an over in first-class cricket.
He is also an avid golfer and told reporters that playing both games brought him great joy.
“Golf is a great game, cricket is a great game, but they are different in so many ways. I had a great career as a cricketer and when my cricket came to an end, I enjoyed every moment on the golf course,” Sir Garfield said. (RS)
