The 2025 Zimbabwe Matchplay is set to tee off this morning at the Police Golf Club in Harare, promising thrills and spills from a highly competitive field.
The tournament will feature the top 64 golfers from the National Order of Merit (OoM) standings, following the conclusion of last week's Zimbabwe Amateur at Chapman Golf Club.
Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA) administrator Tirivashe Nheweyembwa confirmed that preparations are well underway and expressed gratitude for a new sponsor.
"Our preparations are going on very well," said Nheweyembwa. "Adding to the excitement is that we have been able to get a sponsor for the tournament from Energy Park Bulk Fuels, for which we are grateful. It shows that we are getting there."
The tournament aims to provide valuable match play experience for golfers, a different format from stroke play.
"The whole idea of this tournament is to expose our players to Matchplay, which is a different game to Strokeplay.
Matchplay teaches you how to think; you play the opponent, not necessarily the course," Nheweyembwa explained.
This year's event is particularly exciting with the participation of Nathan Van Rooyen, who recently made history as the youngest player to win the Zimbabwe Amateur.
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The tournament also offers crucial World Amateur Golf Ranking points, adding to its significance.
The Zimbabwe Matchplay is a straight knockout event.
The first two rounds—the Round of 64 and the Round of 32—will take place on Friday.
OoM ranking points will be awarded starting from the Round of 16, scheduled for Saturday morning, followed by the quarter-finals on Saturday afternoon.
The tournament culminates on Sunday with the semi-finals in the morning and the final and third-place play-off in the afternoon.
All matches, up until the final, will be 18 holes, with ties resolved by sudden-death playoffs.
The primary qualification for the tournament is based on the top 64 players in the National Order of Merit.
Should any of these players be unavailable, their spots will be filled by the top 16 finishers from the Zimbabwe Amateur who are not already qualified via the OoM, in descending order of their final position.
If the field still has openings, it will be completed with the next best OoM players outside the top 64.
In terms of seeding, the top seed will play the 64th seed, the second seed will play the 63rd seed, and so on.
Withdrawals after the draw's publication will be replaced by the next eligible player from the OoM or Zimbabwe Amateur list.
If a withdrawal occurs after a round begins, it will result in a walkover.
