ZIMBABWEAN golfers will have an opportunity to familiarise with the Royal Harare Golf Club layout ahead of the Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open in two weeks’ time when they tee it up in the 2015 Pre-Open Classic this morning. BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
The 36-hole stroke play Pre-Open Classic, which has a purse of $10 000 courtesy of the Zimbabwe Open Golf Committee, is expected to give local professionals the much-needed competition ahead of the country’s flagship golf tournament which gets underway on April 9 at the same venue.
Zambezi Tour marketing and communications director Tendayi Gwatiringa said the 2015 Pre-Open Classic had attracted over 50 golfers including local and foreign players plying their trade on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa.
“The 2015 Pre-Open Classic tees off tomorrow (today) and we have an entry of over 50 professional entries for the event. Entries have closed and we have a good field with local based players as well as the likes of Ryan Cairns, Mark Williams, Mick Hough, Greg Bentley and Sheldon Steyn who have been playing on the Sunshine Tour. In addition we have received entries from over 10 (ten) South Africans.
“The event has attracted all these players as it is a perfect practising opportunity in preparation for the 2015 Zimbabwe Open which tees off next Thursday although preceded by the Pre-Qualifier to be held on the Monday 6th April 2015,” he said.
No Zimbabwean golfer has managed to win the Zimbabwe Open since 2000 when Mark McNutly, finished on top of the leaderboard for his third major win on home soil.
However local golfers have attributed South Africa’s dominance of the flagship Zimbabwe Open lack of sponsorship for them to play regularly on the Sunshine Tour and the absence of competitive tournaments on the local circuit before the prestigious competition.
However the Pre-Open Classic should give them a chance to get some competitive rounds of golf under their belt as they have not played any competitive golf on the local circuit since the Harare Open played at Chapman Golf in October last year.
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South Africa-based Zimbabwean professionals Ryan Cairns and Mark Williams have been the most active of the local contingent on the professional tours in South Africa and should be the players to beat in the Pre-Open Classic.
Cairns recently warmed up for the upcoming home tournaments in style after managing credible sixth place finish in the IGT Tour’s Centurion Academy Classic in Pretoria last week.
The 30-year-old Harare-born golfer walked away with R 2 100 after carding rounds of 69-72 and 69 for at the Wingate Park Country Club for 54-hole total of six under par 210.
Other local golfers to look out for include Ignatius Mketekete, who won last year’s Pre-Open Classic and two-time Sunshine Tour winner Tongo Charamba.
Charamba was the highest placed local golfer at the conclusion of last year’s Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open, carding rounds of 67-71-69 and 72 for a nine-under par 279 total.
