Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
A superb final-round 67 was not enough for Zimbabwe’s rising golf sensation Keegan Shutt, who fell heartbreakingly short of glory at the 2025 First Capital Bank Zimbabwe Junior Open, losing by just one stroke to South Africa’s Andries van der Vyver.
Shutt carded a 10-under-par 206 after 54 holes at Borrowdale Brooke Golf Estate, finishing a single shot behind Van der Vyver, who posted an 11-under-par 205 to claim the title.
The highly rated Zimbabwean prodigy had opened his campaign with a solid two-under-par 70, tying with Alex Frankel and trailing first-round leader Craig Cilliers by just one stroke.
He followed it up with a three-under-par 69 in the second round, reaching five-under-par 139 heading into the final day. After two rounds, Shutt was tied at the top of the leaderboard with Cilliers and held a three-shot cushion over the eventual champion, Van der Vyver, who sat at two-under-par 142.
Shutt closed with a sparkling five-under 67 but was ultimately edged out after Van der Vyver produced a sensational nine-under-par 63 in the final round, a performance that propelled the South African to his first international victory.
Meanwhile, Lourenda Steyn produced a dominant performance to cruise to an eight-stroke victory in the girls’ championship. Steyn carded an impressive four-under-par 212, while second-placed Zoey Rhoda finished at four-over-par 220.
On the combined overall leaderboard, Steyn ranked fourth, trailing only Van der Vyver, Shutt, and Cilliers.
The tournament attracted talented juniors from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, China, Zambia and France.
Boys’ leaderboard: Van der Vyver (-11), Shutt (-10), Cilliers (-7), Zinan Maimane (-3), Jayden Jacobs (-2), Gideon Fourie (level), Alex Frankel (+1), Evan Marais (+2), Ruben-Hein Churr (+3).
Girls’ leaderboard: Steyn (-4), Rhoda (+4), Sebata (+11), Orateng Maphauke (+12), Megan Marais (+15), Zayaan Hendricks (+15), Yixuan Mu (+16), Zane Fourie (+21), Mea Swart (+26), Alessia Goussard (+27).
λ Zimbabwe’s boys’ and girls’ junior teams narrowly missed out on qualification for the 2025 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup set for Japan, after falling short of the top-two finish needed at the recently concluded All Africa Junior Team Championship, held at The Residence Golf Course in Tunisia.
Zimbabwe finished third in the boys’ competition and fourth in the girls’. Only the top two teams from each event earned qualification for the global showpiece.
South Africa claimed the boys’ title, their 18th consecutive triumph, with Morocco finishing as runners-up. In the girls’ competition, it was vice-versa, with Morocco winning ahead of South Africa. It marked the first time South Africa had failed to win the girls’ title since the tournament’s inception in 2017.
The Zimbabwean boys’ team, Tanaka Chatora, Thomas Sinclair, Tawana Mangoma, and Brydon Amm finished with a combined team score of 694, 37 shots behind South Africa and 32 behind Morocco.
In the three-to-count format, Zimbabwe posted a first-round total of 228 (individual rounds of 72, 76, and 80), followed by a second-round 229 (75, 77, and 77), and concluded with a third-round 237 (73, 82, and 82).
In the girls’ competition, Zimbabwe finished with an overall gross of 477, with the best two scores counting each round. They opened with 168 (82 and 86), improved to 154 (75 and 79) in round two, and finished with 155 (73 and 82) in the final round.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on World Cup qualification, there was cause for celebration as 15-year-old sensation Miriam Masiya finished second on the individual leaderboard.
Masiya, tied for second with two others, ended just two strokes behind Morocco’s Sawssane Melhli, who won the event. Masiya carded a 14-over-par 230, compared to Melhli’s 12-over-par 228.
On the boys’ individual leaderboard, Tanaka Chatora secured a top-10 finish with a 13-over-par 229, 11 strokes adrift of champion Johannes De Bruin of South Africa, who shot a two-over-par 218.
