ZIMBABWE’S amateur golf team stormed into an early lead at the seventh Africa Amateur Golf Team Championship (AAGTC) after impressive opening round scores from Thembelani Vundla and Clive Nguru at Royal Swazi Spa Country Club in Swaziland on Monday.
REPORT BY SPORTS REPORTER
The Roger Baylis-coached team rose to the top of the leaderboard with a four-shot lead over champions South Africa, thanks to the two brilliant rounds from Vundla and Nguru who shot 65 and 66 respectively.
The pair’s brilliant scores in addition to Christian Mbanga’s 73 brought the team total to 12-under-par 204.
Biggie Chibvuri shot 78, but his score was not included in Zimbabwe’s total as the tournament rules stipulate that only the best three scores per round from each team will count toward the team total.
Zimbabwe were expected to resume the second day yesterday, with a four-shot advantage over South Africa, who have won every edition of the AAGTC since the inaugural championship in 2001.
The South Africans, who are gunning for their seventh consecutive victory in Africa’s premier biennial team’s competition, finished on eight-under-par 208.
They were expected to begin the 36-hole second round just four off the pace from rivals Zimbabwe. Hosts Swaziland and Mauritius were joint third on 215.
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Kenya lies fifth with 217 points while Reunion Islands were in sixth position by close of day with 219.
In addition to South Africa, leaders Zimbabwe and hosts Swaziland, the other countries participating include Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Namibia, Reunion, Mauritius, Mozambique and Botswana.
FIRST ROUND TEAMS LEADERBOARD
204 – Zimbabwe 208 – South Africa 215 – Mauritius; Swaziland 217 – Kenya 219 – Reunion 226 – Uganda 228 – Zambia 234 – Namibia 239 – Botswana 252 – Mozambique
