Chinhoyi , Follet Smith fail to make the cut

IT was a challenging outing for Zimbabwe’s two professional golfers, Benjamin Follet-Smith and Robson Chinhoyi, who both failed to make the cut going into the final round of the NTT DATA Pro-Am at Fancourt’s Montagu Golf Course.

Follet-Smith missed the cut after round three, meaning he did not progress to the final round yesterday, while Chinhoyi also failed to make the cut after round two. This left the two celebrated Zimbabwean golfers out of contention for the Sunshine Tour and Hotel Planner Tour co-sanctioned event.

After the completion of round three on Saturday, Follet-Smith was tied for 72nd position with a score of five-under-par-212.

In a weather-affected first round — which he finished the following day due to heavy rain, Follet-Smith carded a 69 before shooting level par in the second round. In the third round, the Zimbabwean carded a score of 71.

Chinhoyi made level par in his first round before posting a three-over-par 76 in the second round, which led to his missed cut heading into the third round.
The two players are expected to be among the main attractions at the 2025 Zimbabwe Open, which is scheduled for May at Royal Harare Golf Club.

Follet-Smith was ranked as Zimbabwe’s number one amateur golfer and won the 2012 All-Africa Junior Championship, and represented Zimbabwe in the All-Africa Team Championships. Follett-Smith turned professional in 2018 and joined the Sunshine Tour.

In September he won Challenge 9 on the Big Easy Tour, its development circuit.
He represented Zimbabwe at the 2018 World Cup of Golf, together with Scott Vincent. In February 2020, Follett-Smith recorded a one-shot victory at the Final Stage of the Asian Tour Qualifying School.

However, with the 2020 and 2021 seasons largely lost to the Covid-19 pandemic, his first full season on the Asian Tour was 2022, where he had limited success.

Follett-Smith won the Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club in 2019 and again in 2023, when the event was co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour. In 2020 Follett-Smith defeated Andy Sullivan by one in the Notts Hollinwell tournament on the Clutch Pro Tour. He finished 32nd on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit in 2023 but his best finish was the 28th he obtained in the 2020/21 season.

Chinhoyi’s victory at the Zanaco Masters in May 2023 was the biggest win of his professional career. The Zimbabwean had finished 24th on home soil, Harare, in the FBC Zimbabwe Open a fortnight earlier and in great form.

His other highlights have included a 24th at the Mediclinic Invitational, 25th place at Bain’s Whisky Ubunye (TEAMS) and 30th in the Origins of Golf. Chinhoyi is also a two-time winner of the Johnnie Walker Uganda Pro Golf Open Championship. – @brandon_malvin