THE year 2014 promises to be an exciting one for golf followers both on the local and international scene. Here are some of the events to watch out for during the year.
On the local scene the first Zimbabwe Golf Association national tournament will be the Dugmore Trophy which will be played at Bulawayo Golf Club on December 18 to 19.
What makes this year important for the top amateur golfers is that a three-member team will be chosen to represent Zimbabwe at the Eisenhower trophy to be held in Japan during the month of September.
The Eisenhower trophy is the World Amateur team trophy and is held biannually. All the top amateur golfers from around the world participate in this event.
Another eagerly anticipated event for all the amateurs is the Windhoek Lager Africa Championships that was launched late last year. Zimbabwean golfers finishing first in the A, B, C divisions over the four tournaments chosen by the ZGA, will have an all-expense paid trip to play in the grand finale to be played at Windhoek Golf&Country Club in Namibia.
Other countries that will be sending players are Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and the hosts Namibia.
For the Matebeleland golf clubs the local league is anticipated to be very competitive this year as all the clubs have pledged to put more effort in trying to win the league.
The 2013 league was won by Elephant Hills and they then went on to win the national event that was played at Norton Golf Club in December.
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On the international scene the Ryder Cup will be played on the 26-28 September at Gleanegles, Scotland. The European team looks favourite to defend the trophy they won in 2012 as they also have the added advantage of playing on their home continent.
The Americans will also be trying to salvage lost pride after they lost the 2012 event thanks to a last day collapse and a magnificent comeback from the Europeans.
At the start of the final day’s play, the US led 10–6 and required 4½ points to win; Europe required 8½ to win it outright. Europe achieved one of the greatest comebacks in Ryder Cup history by winning eight and tying one of the 12 singles matches.
Tiger Woods will continue his quest to beat Jack Nicklaus’ major record. The added advantage for Tiger this year is that he has won on three of the four venues where the majors will be played.
Another golfer to watch out for at the majors is Sergio Garcia who has made great improvements in his putting in 2013. Sergio has come close to winning a major numerous times, but his putting always seems to let him down when it matters the most.
A lot of fans are also hoping that Rory Mclroy will put his disastrous 2013 season behind him and return to competing at the highest level.
He recently announced engagement to his long-time girlfriend tennis star Caroline Wozniacki it is hoped that this stability in his personal life will bring about an improvement in his golfing game.
