Chronicle Editor
Brandon Moyo,[email protected]
ZIMBABWE Golf Association (ZGA) is confident that the team they selected for the 2023 World Amateur Team Golf Championships (WATC) will produce good results at the global showpiece that will be held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The tournament, which is the biggest amateur golf event in the world is set to run from October 18-21 at the National Course at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Zimbabwe selected a three-member team which they have trust in to raise Zimbabwe’s flag high.
The three players selected to represent Zimbabwe are Michael Wallace, David Amm and Keagan Shutt. ZGA president, Martin Chikwana told Zimpapers Sports Hub that they are confident of improving from the last time and have trust in the selected players.
He added that with the team they selected they are not just looking at the upcoming tournament but also are planning ahead.
“We learnt some lessons last time and we have selected a better balanced and mature team, we are confident that they will perform well. Amm brings in a lot of experience as he has been based in the United States for College, Shutt played last year and only struggled in one round out of three and Wallace is a steady player so we have a better team.
“A lot of thought went into the team and we also need to finish in the top 36 to qualify for Singapore 2025, therefore we are already planning two years ahead. We will also arrive two days before the championship to have some time to walk on the course and prepare and we should be able to perform better,” said Chikwana.
Chikwana said they do not have only one expectation from the championship but their anticipation is three-fold. The championship will be the perfect chance for Shutt and Wallace to gain more experience on a big stage while Amm will have the opportunity to shine and prove himself with his peers before he turns professional.
“A lot of preparation has gone in and we are all systems go. The young golfers will also go through a high performance program,” said Chikwana.
Zimbabwe will be one of 72 nations that will compete for the top honours in the Eisenhower Trophy. Zimbabwe has only failed to qualify on one occasion over the past 30 years.
However, this year they had to go through a qualification tournament where the youngsters brought their ‘A game’ and managed to book their tickets to compete against the best in the world.
The championships will be held in the Middle East for the first time since their inauguration in 1958 and this year’s edition will mark the 33rd men’s championship for the Eisenhower Trophy.
It brings together the best amateur golfers from around the world who have aspirations of collegiate golf or turning professional.
The best players in the world have participated in the WATC and it will provide Zimbabwe’s amateurs a chance to make a name for themselves on the biggest stage. Some of the most recognised names in the game who, in the past took part in the competition are Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Zimbabwean Nick Price, and Jack Nicklaus among others.
Each team participating in the tournament will have two or three players and play 18-holes of stroke play for four days.
In each round, the total of the two lowest scores from each team constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day (72-hole) total is the team’s score for the championship.
After the men’s Eisenhower Trophy, the championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy will be held from October 25-28, 2023. As of July 12, 2023, Zimbabwe was ranked in position 58 in the WATC rankings (final) and is the fourth highest ranked African nation after South Africa (12), Kenya (13) and Morocco (14).
WATC is the highest level of competition in amateur golf. The Zimbabwean team also goes into the tournament with experience having taken part in various events in the country. Amm won the Champion of Champions tournament where he shot 11 under. In the previous WATC tournament, Shutt had level par, one over and two over in three of his rounds. – @brandon_malvin
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