Zimbabwe’s golf season kicks off with Dugmore and Fellowship tournament

THE Bulawayo Golf Club is buzzing with excitement as over 80 golfers prepare to tee off at the 2024 Dugmore and Fellowship tournament this morning.

The prestigious stroke-play golf tournament is the traditional season opener in the country and will mark the official start of the Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA) season.

It has drawn all the top amateur players from across the country and promises to be a thrilling golf event.

The tournament will span two days, ending tomorrow. A total of 84 golfers have registered for the tournament.

Vincent Makamure, the president of the Matabeleland Provincial Golf Union, said everything is ready for today’s start and the course is in excellent condition.

“Preparations have been going on very well and everything is in order. The course has been maintained very well despite the rains in the past couple of weeks. It is looking very good and all is ready, we are now waiting for players to come and play,” he said.

Makamure added that the number of registered golfers is impressive and they are expecting an interesting and unpredictable tournament with a number of good players taking part. Some of the leading amateur golfers who will be vying for the top honours include Keagan Shutt — who represented Zimbabwe at the World Amateur Team Championships (WATC) last year — Tanaka Mpofu, and Mathew Williams — who won the 2019 Dugmore event — among others. He encouraged players to play within the rules.

“A total of 84 golfers have registered for the tournament, 39 for Dugmore and 48 for Fellowship. Some of the players to look out for include Keagan Shutt, who has been doing well lately, however, there are a lot of good players and there is room for surprise. I cannot say this one will come out on top but I can promise it’s going to be an interesting tournament. There are a lot of good players from all over the country.

“We are also looking forward to fulfilling the fixture within the parameters of ZGA and World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Play within the rules and the tournament will be a success.”

The Dugmore and Fellowship tournament is WAGR rated, which means that the participants will have a chance to earn good world ranking points if they do well. Last year’s tournament was won by Michael Wallace, who finished on -2 under 214 points. Wallace edged — for the second year running — former First Class cricketer, Williams by two shots. Williams was on level par for a gross total of 216 after recording round scores of 75, 71 and 70.

Last year’s event was also the first one to feature men and women and the ladies event was won by Tracy Humbira, who finished with round scores of 92, 80 and 75 to be crowned champion. Eden Thompson, the development manager for Africa of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A), also attended last year’s tournament.

After the Dugmore and Fellowship tournament, the next event on the calendar is the South African Swing Tournament, which will take place in different venues. The venues are Mount Edgecomb, Royal Johannesburg, Modderfoinatin and Hounghton, starting on January 31 to February 16.
@brandon_malvin