Hwange Open Golf tourney on

Sport
PROFESSIONAL and amateur golfers will converge for the Hwange Open Golf Tournament to be held at Hwange Golf Club on October 3 to 5.

PROFESSIONAL and amateur golfers will converge for the Hwange Open Golf Tournament to be held at Hwange Golf Club on October 3 to 5. SUKOLUHLE MTHETHWA SPORTS REPORTER

The tournament usually attracts top professional and amateur golfers from around the country and beyond.

A huge field of amateur golfers could attend the tournament that was granted Order of Merit by the Zimbabwe Golf Association in June last year.

Hwange Golf Club captain Vumi Moyo yesterday confirmed this year’s competition.

“The pro and lower handicaps will play first round 18 holes on Friday which will be part of the pro-am. On Saturday they will play round two which will be 18 holes and the 18 holes third round on Sunday,” he said.

“The higher handicaps will play pro-am on Friday, Round One of the competition on Saturday and Round Two of the competition on Sunday, so they will play 36 holes. We are expecting a field of 120 golfers although more could come.”

After coming fourth in last year’s competition, Bulawayo Golf Club professional Phillip Tshuma said he is looking forward to this year’s tournament.

“I have been spending a lot of time doing junior developmental programmes than my own golf. But I have started practising because there is a tournament coming up. I came fourth last year so I expect a better show this year,” he said.

“I will be in Hwange this Thursday and Friday for the junior programme, so I hope to take advantage of that and practise at the course. There has been very little action in professional golf this year, so most players are rusty. It will depend on which player has put in much time practising,” he said.

His clubmate Brian Gondo said he was preparing for the competition.

“They haven’t confirmed if it’s there. But I am looking forward to the competition. My game hasn’t been up to standard since the time I was injured. There had to be a lot of adjustments that I had to make mostly to do with swinging. It affected me but I am happy with how everything is progressing now,” he said.

Gondo sustained a hand injury during the Africa Open Championships in South Africa early last year.

In 2012, he won the Hwange Open Golf Tournament in the coal mining town before he emerged winner in the Joshua Mqabuko Invitational at Bulawayo Country Club.

Chaferfly Enterprises are usually the major sponsors of the Hwange Open competition.

Meanwhile, Maxwell Mudonhi won his second game of the Mbada Golf Society 2014 to 2015 season played at Harry Allen Golf Club on Sunday. Mudonhi won the third game of the season which was played at the same venue in June.

He came first after getting a net score of 69 grossing 92 playing off handicap 23. Margaret Vera was second after posting a net score of 70.

She got a gross score of 87 playing off handicap 17 while champion Baleni Sibanda got a net score of 71 grossed 86 playing off handicap 15 was third. The competition which is largely dominated by men saw another female golfer making it into the top four.

Acey Zerf posted a net score of 73 grossing 84 playing off handicap 11 coming fourth.