dyton mupawaenda
Takudzwa Chitsiga-Sports Reporter
A TOTAL of 12 Zimbabwean players managed to make the cut at the FBC Zimbabwe Open Golf Championship at Royal Harare yesterday.
All the players that managed three-over-par after the opening qualifying two rounds have made the cut and will continue with the game this morning.
Biggie Chibvuri, Stuart Krog, Kieran Vincent, Tonderai Masunga, Shaahid Mahmed are the best placed locals on one under.
The quintet of local players is tied on position 19 as they return to the course today. Zimbabwe’s favourite Vincent had earlier shown why he is highly regarded as he went to hole number 15 tied on position 10 but two bogeys on holes 16 and 17 changed the complexion of his game.
Vincent, who is playing his first Zimbabwe Open as a professional after turning professional last year, is expected to pick up the pieces as he has promised to remain focused.
The 25-year-old rising star, who recently won the International Series Vietnam title on the Asian Tour, is leading Zimbabwe’s bid for a first local Open winner since Mark McNulty’s in 2000.
Heading into yesterday’s second round, Vincent said he would not change his approach.
“My strategy will stay relatively the same, I just need to start executing better,” Vincent revealed.
“I think the strategy today was the right one. We just need to be a little better at executing it, so we will have kind of a similar game plan tomorrow. It should be exciting because the boys will get hot and get the putter going, the greens are pure enough that if you start it on the right line you know it’s going in. So yeah, I’m just excited the course is looking great and looking forward for tomorrow,” he added.
Robson Chinhoi is on level par after opening rounds of 70 and 74 as Pride Sembo is on one-over-par with rounds of 72 and 73.
Ryan Cairns and Promise Sumbrero are on two-over Pride Sembo, Mahommad Mandhu, Ignatius Mketekete and David Amm are on three-over-par.
Amm is the only amateur who managed to make the cut and will have the privilege to play alongside some top professional players.
South Africa’s David Breen is leading the field on nine-under after rounds of 67 and 68 taking over from day one leader Wynand Dingle who is now on position four.
Breen is one shot ahead of Neil Schietekat, who is on eight-under after rounds of 67 and 69 with Jacques de Villies is third, on three-under.
Trevor Fisher Junior completes the top five on five-under-par.
Breen began yesterday’s round on the 10th hole and the 25-year-old said one of the hardest challenges posed by the classic parkland layout is how differently the two nines play, with the back nine being much more difficult.
“They are completely different nines. On the front nine, the par-fives are more straightforward and the par-threes are easier because there are no elevated greens. But on the back nine, the greens are elevated and it is quite punishing off the tee. They’ve been giving us back pins and the greens slope away towards the bunkers, so it is very hard to get the ball close.
“You feel like you’re holding on for dear life and you want some sort of cushion before you play the back nine.
“ But I actually found it quite nice to start on the back nine today, grind it out, trying to stay cool, and then opening up on the front nine,” Breen said.
And that’s exactly what the second-year pro did. After two bogeys and a birdie in his first four holes, he made important birdies on the par-three 15th and par-four 18th holes, setting him up for a bogey-free front nine in which he picked up three more shots, on the third, fifth and sixth holes.
“It’s a challenging course and sometimes par can feel like birdie. You’ve just got to stay patient and set yourself up by being in the right spots.
“I’m in a nice position for the weekend because scoring is going to be tough,” Breen said.
Online Reporter