Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE’S campaign at the 2025 World Amateur Team Championship (WATC), underway at Tanah Merah Country Club in Singapore, got off to a slow start, with the team sitting in 35th position following yesterday’s opening round.
Zimbabwe, one of only three African nations competing at the global showpiece, recorded a team score of 11-over-par 155. The in-form Darlington Chikanyambidze and 14-year-old prodigy Munesu Chimhini contributed to the team’s opening round total.
With Zimbabwe placed second from bottom after the first round, Mexico leads the field on seven-under-par 137, two shots ahead of second-placed South Africa on five-under-par 139. The other African representative, Morocco, is tied for 25th position on three-over-par 147.
Zimbabwe is represented by Chikanyambidze, Chimhini, and Elton Zulu — all making their debuts at the prestigious Eisenhower Trophy.
On the individual leader board, the red-hot Chikanyambidze is the highest-placed Zimbabwean. He marked his debut with a three-over-par 75, leaving him tied for 67th position, 10 strokes behind overnight leader Hiroshi Hirahara Tai of Singapore.
14-year-old Chimhini and Zulu opened their campaigns with rounds of eight-over-par 80 and 11-over-par 83, respectively. Chimhini sits in 103rd position, while Zulu is in 107th.
On the team leader board, Zimbabwe is in 35th place, second from bottom, with a team score of 11-over-par 155. The team total is calculated using the best two individual scores from each round — in this case, those of Chikanyambidze and Chimhini.
Chikanyambidze’s round included a birdie on the par-four second hole. He dropped shots on holes four, six, 14, and 15.
Chimhini began his round with a birdie on the first hole but dropped a shot on the second. He dropped another on the fourth, followed by a birdie on the fifth. However, he then carded double bogeys on holes six, nine, and 13, and bogeys on 12, 15, and 17. He managed another birdie on the 16th.
Zulu’s round featured birdies on holes nine and 12, but he also recorded seven bogeys — on the first, fourth, fifth, 10th, 11th, 14th, and 15th — along with three double bogeys on holes three, 17, and 18.
Speaking ahead of the opening round, Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA) president Blessmore Gandawa said the championship provides a valuable platform for the players to learn and develop their game.
