Zim junior golfers eye continental glory

Sport
ZIMBABWE’S leading junior golfers will be out to end South Africa’s dominance of the All-Africa Junior Golf Championship in Zambia next week.

ZIMBABWE’S leading junior golfers will be out to end South Africa’s dominance of the All-Africa Junior Golf Championship in Zambia next week.

DANIEL NHAKANISO SPORTS REPORTER

The 19th edition of the All-Africa Junior Championship will tee off on Monday and run until next Thursday at Chainama Hills Golf Club in Lusaka.

Other countries expected to compete in the prestigious junior teams championship include the host nation, Ghana, Kenya, Swaziland, Uganda, Namibia and Mauritius.

Regional powerhouses South Africa are the most successful country in the history of the tournament. They have won 15 titles is the competition’s 19-year history.

However, having played second fiddle to South Africa in the past, Zimbabwe, who boast a stronger squad this year, has a good chance to upstage their more fancied rivals.

The Zimbabwe junior team which leaves for Zambia on Saturday evening will be led by junior sensation Stuart Krog, currently the top ranked junior on the Zimbabwe Golf Association’s junior rankings.

Bulawayo Golf Club junior Jack Allard, Justin Kersten and Kieran Vincent, the young brother to US-based top amateur golfer Scott Vincent is also part of the team.

Vincent, Kersten and Allard are respectively ranked second to fourth while non-travelling reserve Mbongeni Maphosa is ranked fifth.

The current crop of players will head to Zambia with high hopes of going one better than their silver medal standing achieved last year at Le Touessrok Golf Course in Port Louis, Mauritius.

In an interview with our sister paper NewsDay Sport, Zimbabwe Junior Golf Association president Brian Maphosa backed the young team to rise to the occasion and upstage the South Africans.