adminTakudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Scott Vincent and Marc Cayeux are expected to fly the country’s flag at the European Tour-sanctioned South Africa Open, which tees off this morning.
The event is taking place at the Glendower Golf Club in Johannesburg and several world-class players, including former world number one and four-time Major winner, Rory Mcllroy, will be part of the star-studded field.
Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, Nick Faldo of England and Irishman Darren Clarke are also part of the field.
Vincent is ranked 54th on the Sunshine Tour order of merit and had a direct entry in the tournament.
Cayeux managed to get a slot due to category 2B medical extension after he recovered from injuries he suffered in 2010 in a car accident. Vincent will tee off at 8:30am alongside Sebastian Soderberg and Heinrich Bruiners while Cayeux will play in the afternoon field at midday together with Eddie Pepperell and Christofer Blomstrand.
There are no places though for several Zimbabweans who include Greg Bentley, Sheldon Styen, Mohammad and Kayyam Rauf Mandhu, Dean Nysschen and William Lake, who all failed to make the cut.
Bentley missed the cut by a whisker after he finished on three-under-par as the projected score was six-under-par with four players proceeding from each qualifying course.
Four courses hosted the qualifying slots and it was Bentley who had the best chance but, unfortunately, he could not make it.
World number two McIlroy tees will be hoping that a change of clubs will not trigger a loss of form.
“The first few holes of my practise round were not great but once I got into the rhythm, everything was fine,” the Northern Irishman told AFP.
“I am in South Africa to play well and get my confidence up.
“My choice of equipment may change from week to week. We will see how I fare in South Africa.
“You never know until you study a card after a round. Besides, the golfer swinging the club is more important than the club itself.”
He tweeted footage of a male lion, who wandered slowly past the vehicle the wide-eyed golf star was in with two rangers during a safari.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe-born top professional golfer, Dean Burmester, is part of a sport persons fighting to preserve rhinos from extinction.
He has been partnering former South African cricketer Mark Boucher and Justin Walters and they have been raising money for the Birdies4Rhinos initiative.
Burmester, who grew up in Nyanga and Walters partnered with the Castle Lager Boucher Legacy Project, a programme run by former Proteas wicket-keeper-batsman Boucher, to help spread awareness and raise money for the preservation of rhinos in Africa.
“You know, I love the bush and I cherish every holiday I get to spend in the bush,” Burmester said.
“After seeing rhino during a holiday we spent in the bush and thinking that my kid may not be able to see these beautiful creatures 20 years down the line, it made me think about doing something about it, and that’s when I joined up with Justin and Mark,” he said.
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