Story by Raynald Ngwarati
MEXICAN golfer Luis Carrera has won the 2025 FBC Zim Golf Open Championship, after finishing on 18 under par to clinch the coveted trophy, while Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi earned a joint seventh-place finish in the Sunshine Tour tournament at Royal Harare Golf Course this Sunday.
With a prize money of three million Rand on offer, Luis Carrera held his nerves this Sunday to get his first win on the Sunshine Tour in only his first start on Tour.
Carrera who took a slim overnight lead of -14 on Saturday, played some beautiful shots to create breathing space between himself and his closest challenger Austin Bautista who had put in quite a challenge on Saturday.
With South Africans normally dominating the course, Bautista who made the biggest move on Saturday with a sublime bogey-free 66 and a -13 score appeared poised to take it down to the wire but failed to find the niche in the final round this Sunday.
The fate of the tour was evidently decided with three holes left to play, as Carrera capitalised on Bautista’s struggles to thrust himself in line to succeed Michael Hollick as the Zim Golf Open champion.
One of the pre-tournament favourites Trevor Fisher Jnr, who finished second twice in 2012 and 2017, losing in a playoff on both occasions was further adrift off top spot finishing fifth on -8 in the final round.
Local favourite, Robson Chinhoi had a decent outing, finishing on six under to tie South Africa’s Kyle de Beer for the 7th best finish of the tournament.
Hernie Otto who stole the show with a remarkable six under par on the opening day, could not build on his joint fourth spot on Saturday, falling down the pecking order from an overnight nine under to finish on six under par tying Chinhoi and de Beer.
Four other Zimbabwean golfers finished in the top 50 with Stuart Krog finishing tied 20th on two under, while the trio of Shahid Mahmed, Visitor Mapwanya as well as Tonderayi Masunga finished on one over par tied 37th.
The FBC Zim Golf Open is the 13th edition of the Zimbabwe Open since its return on the Sunshine Tour and is the first tournament of the Sunshine Tour 2025 season.
