ZIMBABWE’S sole flag bearer on the US PGA Tour, Brendon de Jongé, will return to competitive golf for the first time since earning internationals captain Nick Price’s pick for the President’s Cup when he tees off at the BMW Championship today. DANIEL NHAKANISO SPORTS REPORTER The BMW Championship with a prize fund of $8 million is the penultimate round of the FedEx Cup. Play-offs, will be played over 72 holes at Conway Farms Golf Club in Chicago, US.
Only the top 70 golfers on the PGA Tour are invited to BMW Championship and De Jongé in position 26, will need to remain in the top 30 to earn a spot in the season-ending tour championship next week in Atlanta.
It would be De Jongé’s first appearance in the season ending finals if he qualifies.
The Harare-born golfer heads into the tournament on a decent run of form in the FedEx Cup play-offs which saw him finishing tied for ninth position at the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston a fortnight ago.
A week earlier, de Jongé had finished tied for 19th position at the Barclays tournament in New Jersey.
His recent form was enough to land one of international captain’s two wildcard picks for next month’s biannual President,s Cup.
Although de Jongé is yet to post a victory on the PGA Tour he has enjoyed one of his most consistent season as a professional – he has 11 top 25 finishes and missed just five cuts in 28 events – anything short of a Tour Championship start would be a disappointment.
De Jongé (33) has won nearly $8 million in his PGA Tour career and almost $1,6 million this season, but he is still chasing his first victory. “I’m very satisfied with how things are going. The glaring omission is still a win, though,” De Jongé told the Charlotte Observer early this week.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“The President’s Cup is a wonderful addition, but the next two weeks are probably more important to me for different reasons.”
De Jongé will tee off in the second group alongside Americans Roberto Castro and Zach Johnson at 3pm (Zimbabwean time).
