Golfers converge in Byo

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S flagship amateur golf tournament, the Dugmore Trophy, will be held at the Bulawayo Golf Club from January 19-21, with over 100 amateurs expected to take to the greens.

The tournament, which is one of the 19 Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA) order of merit events, was postponed on numerous occasions last year due to heavy rains that pounded Bulawyo and most parts of the country, rendering the course unplayable.

The ZGA will be hoping the weather doesn’t ruin the country’s oldest golf course, forcing a postponement.

The Dugmore Trophy heralds the start of the golfing season and according to the ZGA tentative calendar, after the Dugmore Trophy, the next major tournament will be the Julius Robinson in Harare from February 3-4 followed by the South African Stroke Play at the Pecanwood Golf and Country Club from February 6-9.

South Africa will also play host to the African Amateur Golf Tourney after the stroke play event.

The Masvingo Amateur Tournament is set for the end of March to April 1 before Zimbabwe plays host to a Region Five tourney from April 9-14.

The Zimbabwe Open will be held from April 15-21 with hopes that local golfers will match their South African counterparts, who have been a dominant force in the last two editions of the tournament.

Another big event is the Matabeleland Golf Association’s Hwange Open, which has tentatively been set for October 5-7 in the coal mining town.

Mutare-based professional golfer Robson Chinoi won the 2017 edition with a record breaking margin in the 47-year history of the event when he carded a 12 under par score to win by seven shots in his division.

The 26-year-old golfing sensation, who was making his third appearance in the event, relegated Harare-based Trynos Muradzikwa into second position, with a five under par score. Another professional from the capital Julius Kalimazeni was third with a one under par score.

@skhumoyo2000