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De Jonge comes 7th at Australian Masters

Sport
ZIMBABWE’S leading professional golfer Brendon de Jonge warmed up for this week’s ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf in style after finishing in a tie for seventh position at the 35th Australian Masters.

ZIMBABWE’S leading professional golfer Brendon de Jonge warmed up for this week’s ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf in style after finishing in a tie for seventh position at the 35th Australian Masters yesterday.

SPORTS REPORTER

The burly United States-based professional golfer, who will be Zimbabwe’s lone representative at the World Cup carded a final round two-over par 73 at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club yesterday for a 72-hole total of five under 279.

De Jonge, who had earlier carded rounds of 68-70 and 68 in the first three rounds, was tied for seventh position alongside Australians Marc Leishman Aaron Price, Jason Scrivener, Mathew Goggin and Geoff Ogilvy.

World number two Adam Scott from Australia clinched the coveted Australian Masters title in his home country by two strokes on 14-under 270 ahead of American Matt Kuchar.

De Jonge was using the Australian Masters to familiarise himself with The Royal Melbourne Golf Club course before representing Zimbabwe in the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf which tees off at the same course on Thursday.

The Harare-born star will be hoping for a strong showing in Australia as he vies for a lucrative prize pot of $8 million in the 60-man field and will be encouraged by his perfomance at the last edition of the tournament in China two years ago.

At the last edition of the World Cup of De Jonge teamed up with fellow countryman Bruce McDonald to steer the country respectable 11th-place finish ahead of South Africaat the Omega Mission Hills World Cup of Golf in Hainan Island, China.

This year South Africa will be represented by Branden Grace and George Coetzee.

Zimbabwe, which has a rich golfing history, having produced some of the world’s finest golfers such as Nick Price, Tony Johnstone and Mark McNulty, twice finished second in 1993 and 1994, on both occasions being beaten by the United States.

The US will head into this year’s tournament as the defending champions after winning the 2011 tournament held in China with Kuchar and Gary Woodland representing them. Kuchar returns to the event in 2013, this time with Kevin Streelman.