The 26th Nedbank Golf Challenge, South Africa’s biggest golf event, will be held at Sun International’s grand Sun City resort from November 30 to December 3, 2006. The number 2 ranked player in the world, American Jim Furyk, will defend his 2005 title against many of the game’s top ranked players including Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, and fellow American Chris DiMarco.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge has a top prize of $1.2 million and a total award payout of nearly $4.4 million. It’s held at the intricately designed Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, where record attendances are set every year its held. A veritable who’s-who in the golf world attends the tournament, and legions of golf fans watch the television broadcast around the globe. The Golf Channel will air the Nedbank Golf Challenge daily from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET.

Ernie Els will be making a record 15th appearance at the tournament. He’ll be joined by fellow South Africans Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman and Charles Schwartzel, who are both making their Nebank debut.

Other first-timers at this year’s tournament are England's David Howell and Sweden's Ryder cup superstar, Henrik Stenson.

American Jim Furyk is returning to defend his 2005 title, which he won with a dramatic chip-in at the 18th to prevail over Retief Goosen, Darren Clarke, and Adam Scott in last year's record four-man playoff. Also returning are two long-time fan favorites, Colin Montgomerie, the 1996 champion, and Padraig Harrington, who shot the lowest score ever recorded at the Gary Player CC course, a 61 in the third round in 2001.
Completing the field will be Spain's Sergio Garcia, the winner in 2003, and American Chris DiMarco.

Since the World Rankings of Golf were first established, every one of the players who have earned the “number one” ranking have competed at the Nedbank t to try and capture the most prestigious title on the African continent.

Sun City is owned by Sun International Hotels & Resorts, Africa’s largest tourism and leisure group. The company operates resorts and luxury hotels in South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and Swaziland. The company’s distinctive properties also include the award-winning The Table Bay; The Royal Livingstone and Zambezi Sun hotels on the precipice of Victoria Falls; and The Lodge at Zimbali, among others. Sun International online: www.suninternational.com.

Pictures of the players can be downloaded at www.suninternational.com/mediaimages. Detailed profiles on all the players are available upon request. For further information are available at www.nedbankgolfchallenge.com

Contact: Gabriele Klink, Imagine Global Communications
Email: g.klink@imagine-communications.us, Tel: 212 922 1961