FROM a goalkeeper, to a barman and then to a top Zimbabwe professional golfer.
SUKOLUHLE MTHETHWA SPORTS REPORTER
This is the story of Phillip One Tshuma a golfer based at Bulawayo Golf Club who has done well in golf despite not playing in the juniors category.
Born on June 21 1974 at Hwange Colliery Hospital, Tshuma is one of the prominent names in golf circles in the country.
While still doing primary education at St Ignatius in Hwange, Tshuma had an interest in football and played as a goalkeeper for Hwange Football Club juniors, but later changed focus and became more interested in golf.
“I played for Hwange FC junior teams. But when I went to Hwange Government Secondary School I became a caddie. The little income I got from there made a difference to me. I would do caddieing after school that is how my interest in the sport started,” he said.
Asked about how his parents felt when he chose a sport largely considered a white men’s game, Tshuma said: “I was winning tournaments and I would go home with prizes I would have won. This surprised my parents because they thought it was a white men’s game and they wondered how I could play it.
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“After secondary education I worked for three months at Zeco but when my contract expired I got a job as a waiter in 1989 at Hwange Golf Club before I later became a barman in 1991,” he said.
“My first official handicap as an amateur golfer was a nine which was good. In 1997, I won the Hwange Open that is when more energy for me to concentrate on the sport came.
“The man who was running Stanchem, Tony Nembaware, invited me to come to Bulawayo so that I could join Peter Banda. That is how I resigned from being a barman,” he said.
Tshuma turned professional in 2002 after he won the Bata Power Open tournament.
“When I turned professional I toured countries like South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia so I got the exposure,” he said.
Tshuma does not only concentrate on his career, but is also interested in the grooming of upcoming golfers.
“When I travelled to other countries, I saw how they were spearheading their developmental programmes so I decided to engage the Zimbabwe Golf Association and the Matabeleland Golf Association. We have an outreach programme that we are doing with Matabeleland Junior Golf Association president Paul Kirsten. We are targeting juniors from Victoria Falls, Hwange and Bulawayo. It has been been very successful so far because we are getting a very good response,” he said.
He rates 2010-2011 as the highlight of his golfing career.
“The year 2010-2011 were the highlights of my career. I came third in the Order of Merit and I was earning above $11 000. I bought an Opel Astra during that time. When the Zimbabwe Open returned I made the cut but I did not make it in 2012. Last year I pulled out because I injured my back in the first round. However, I managed to come fourth in the Hwange Open and I finished the Harare Open on tie 11th. These were the last two tournaments I took part in,” he said.
On his plans for the future Tshuma said: “There are a lot of tournaments that will be coming up so I hope to participate more. I also hope to continue with the developmental programme. I am happy that we have developed a training facility at Bulawayo Golf Club and we hope that we will get support to finish off the maintenance.”
On a parting note, Tshuma paid tribute to Nembaware who has supported him since his days at amateur level.
