Story by Tafara Chikumira
HARARE-based professional golfer Visitor Mapwanya won the inaugural Zimbabwe Professional Golfers Association (ZPGA) Sanja Championship held at Kwekwe Golf Club after producing an impressive performance over two rounds at the weekend.
The Renco Mine-born golfer, who now plies his trade at Chapman Golf Club in Harare, emerged champion after carding an impressive 10-under-par across two rounds with scores of 65 and 69.
Mapwanya, a veteran of the East and North Africa Golf Tours, shrugged off competition from fellow professionals in a championship that also sought to groom young golfers.
Rookie professional Darlington Chikanyambidze, who recently turned professional after winning the Julius Robinson Trophy at Wingate Golf Club, finished second on six-under-par.
Veteran Nyasha Muyambo, who competes on the East African Tour and Sunshine Tour, finished third.
“I am glad I managed to make it despite the rains which made the course very difficult to navigate. I want to thank the sponsors as tournaments of this nature help us prepare for the bigger stage as we commence our golfing calendar for the year,” said Mapwanya.
The Zimbabwe Professional Golfers Association says it is impressed with the growth of golf in the country, particularly among young players who are beginning to take up the sport.
“We had an entertaining championship where amateurs had a chance to mix with professionals and youngsters. The major thrust of the championship was to groom young golfers and we are happy that over 100 young golfers graced the event. The professional championship also put the icing on the cake as we witnessed great standards expected in the sport,” highlighted Liberty Gumisa, president of the Professional Golfers Association.
Sponsors of the championship say the inaugural event marks the beginning of what is expected to become a major event on the local golfing calendar.
“What you saw today is the beginning of bigger things on the golf calendar. We are happy that professionals came and helped groom the youngsters. We are going to rope in more corporates so that this championship grows each year. Our thrust is to see the sport growing day by day,” said Clifford Makiwa, Director of Sanja on the Deck and Innocraft Engineering.
The championship attracted golfers from across the country, with organisers confirming that the next tournament on the calendar will be the NAC Pro-Am, set for Royal Harare Golf Club later this month.
