Zim confident of good golf

Sport
THE Zimbabwe junior golf team is confident of doing well at the annual Toyota World Junior Golf Championship which tees off in Nagoya, Japan, today.

THE Zimbabwe junior golf team is confident of doing well at the annual Toyota World Junior Golf Championship which tees off in Nagoya, Japan, today. DANIEL NHAKANISO SPORTS REPORTER

Four of the country’s top junior golfers namely Stuart Krog, Justin Kersten, Kieran Vincent and Mbongeni Maphosa will feature in the 72-hole tournament which runs until Friday at Chukyo Golf Club.

Krog, who is the country’s highest ranked golfer in the field, said he was happy with the team’s preparations and was confident they would make a positive impression in their first appearance in nine years in the prestigious event in.

“We are looking forward to start our campaign tomorrow and the team is well prepared and in great spirits. At the moment we are not too sure what to expect, but we will go out and try to do our best,” Krog said.

“The course we are playing is very similar to Leopard Rock and we have all had success on that golf course, so we are feeling very comfortable with our surroundings,” he said.

Zimbabwe, who earned their chance to compete in Japan after coming second to South Africa at last month’s All-Africa Junior Golf Challenge in Zambia, are one of the 15 countries competing for the coveted Toyota Cup.

Krog was the country’s best performer at the continental championships, finishing second on the individual leaderboard and just two strokes behind South Africa’s Jovan Rebula.

The Chapman Golf Club rising star will also bank on the experience he has garnered from high-profile tournaments all over the world such as the Junior Orange Bowl Championship and the World Junior Golf Tournament Series.

Krog, who was named Zimbabwe’s junior golfer of the year, won a silver medal at the recent Africa Youth Games in Botswana.