If you're sitting in the office this Friday reading Dan's World, then you're one of the few people in the country not on a golf course. I'm at Dainfern today, playing in the Seekers Travel Pro-am on the Sunshine Tour; the rest of the Golf Punk team is at Pecanwood for today's Puma Classic; former Boland scrumhalf Gary van Loggerenberg heads up Sanlam's day at Boschenmeer; and there's a major day at Steenberg, amongst the multiple golf events wrapping up the week.

But with due apology to the aforementioned, the most important golf event of the day is at Fancourt, as the maiden South African leg of the Gary Player Invitational is launched this evening after a day out on the course. And while nothing will be officially confirmed until tonight, Dan's World has some exclusive insight into the celebrity tournament that takes the place of the sadly departed Nelson Mandela Invitational. And to the dismay of absolutely no one, the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund is nowhere to be seen.

Charity is still the objective of the tournament, however, and the new look event at Fancourt, scheduled for the last weekend of November, will link up with Gary Player Invitationals in China, England and the United States to raise money for the assorted causes that Player continues to support. After the collapse of the NMI last year, and the abhorrent behaviour of the Children's Fund (a monumental disservice to Madiba), most people would have had enough; Player's the type of man who simply comes back more determined to make a difference, and the platform at Fancourt promises another opportunity for him to do exactly that.

To that end, assorted businessmen will join top professionals at Fancourt, providing the money and the quality golf respectively; it's the glamour that really makes the difference at a celebrity tournament (cue the dunhill links championship currently taking place in Scotland), and 2008 should be a cracker in terms of big names. Top Hollywood stuntman Marc 'The Skull' Tudhope has joined the Black Knight group, and along with CEO Marc Player, for several years America's top Elvis impersonator, they have a stellar black book, and so Fancourt looks set to be awash with celebrity come November.

So who's headed for George this year? It'll only be official this evening, but Dan's World sources suggest that Tudhope's musical connections have come to the fore, and while neither Vanilla Ice or Rick Astley — long time targets for the NMI — won't be making the GPI, there's every chance that Billy Ray Cyrus might make it, along with Desmond Jackson, the extra member of the shortlived 'Jackson Six', and one of the guys from Right Said Fred, who's been invited on condition the band never writes another song for SuperSport to murder relentlessly in promotional adverts.

Hollywood provides a couple of hot tips, and again it's Tudhope to the fore — having worked as a stunt double for Denzil Washington, Woody Allen and Queen Latifah, amongst others, Tudhope's a well connected man, and he's thrown his considerable weight around in sourcing talent. Again it's all to be officially confirmed, but don't be surprised to see Alfonso Ribiero (Carlton from ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air'), one of the interchangeable Olsen twins, and the Indian guy from Van Wilder in the line-up. David Hasselhof? Nope, looks like we're going to have to wait another year, I'm afraid.

And the rest of the field? Marc Player has been Facebooking furiously, it would appear, with everyone from Charlize Theron's mum to the woman Oprah keeps going on road trips with, lined up as potential players. The full list will be unveiled at Fancourt tonight, and whoever's in, it'll be a cracker; more importantly, after the debacle of the Nelson Mandela Invitational, a new event has emerged that promises to showcase South Africa, raise huge sums for charity, and celebrate South Africa's greatest ever sportsman. That last weekend in November will be something special.

  • As well as Saturday night's South African Swimming Awards, a healthy dose of football, and the golf in Scotland, there's some eye-catching rugby in store this weekend, with Newlands shaping up as a cracker. Monty back for Province, Baywatch fronting the Lions challenge, and a healthy crowd lined up in the hope of a 19-point home victory: the Absa Currie Cup clash looms as the weekend's highlight. Along with the start of the Spin Doctors season against the Newlands Squirrels in Cape Town this Sunday; I reckon my weekend cricket team will get a bigger crowd than the SuperSport Series, which as usual has kept studiously beneath the radar. Didn't know it had started on Thursday? You're probably not the only one.

  • Contact Dan at dan@metropolis.co.za
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