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Brandon Moyo-Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE wait for the start of the 2025 golf season is over with the first event of the year, the Dugmore and Fellowship Trophy, set to get underway this weekend at its traditional home, Bulawayo Golf Club.
The Dugmore and Fellowship tournament serves as the traditional season opener in the Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA) calendar, and excitement has already started building up ahead of this year’s edition. The eagerly anticipated tournament is set for Saturday and Sunday. It will kick-start the country’s golf season, which has a packed schedule of local and international tournaments.
With just a day left to go, it’s all systems go with some of the country’s top amateur golfers set to attend.
Some of the players who will be vying for the top honours include the defending champion, Tanaka Chatora; Keegan Shutt, fresh from a solid performance at the Junior Orange Bowl tournament in the USA; Tawana Mangoma, who played at the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan; and Kelvin Muchenje, who represented Zimbabwe at the All Africa Golf Team Championship (AAGTC), among a host of other talented golfers.
Speaking to Zimpapers Sports Hub, Matabeleland Golf Association vice president and tournament convener Hazrine Hapazari — who is also the captain of Bulawayo Country Club — said having the season opener at Bulawayo Golf Club is befitting considering its rich history in Zimbabwean golf.
“The Dugmore Trophy traditionally is the season opener for the World Amateur Golf Ranking tournaments in Zimbabwe. It’s befitting as Bulawayo Golf Club, the host, was the first club to be established in Zimbabwe, and Mr. Dugmore was one of the founder members of BGC,” said Hapazari.
Hapazari added that all is in place ahead of tomorrow’s start. He said the course will be different than what players are used to due to rains that have been consistent over the past weeks; however, the conditions will be the same for everyone.
“Preparations are advanced, and we have teams from Hwange, Victoria Falls, and Harare joining the local players. We have well over 30 players for the Dugmore Championship, which is an individual event, and over 50 entrants for the Fellowship, which is a team event where the best three out of four players’ scores over two days count.
“The rains will present a completely different course to the one players are used to. However, the conditions would be the same for everyone, and the first rule of golf says, Play the course as you find it,” he said.
After the Dugmore and Fellowship Trophy, the next event on the calendar is the GolfRSA International Amateur, which is scheduled for January 28 to 31 at Royal Johannesburg.
Online Reporter