RISING star Scott Vincent is on the threshold of making history as the first Zimbabwean golfer to win on the Asian Development Tour after firing an eight-under-par third round of 63 at the PGM UMW Championship in Selangor, Malaysia, yesterday.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
Vincent’s bogey-free round, which included nine birdies, left the Chapman Golf Club prodigy on 11-under for the tournament and just a shot behind overnight leader Namchok Tantipokhakul of Thailand heading into the final day at the Templar Park Country Club.
The 23-year-old former St John’s College student will start today’s final round in a share for second place with Shunya Takeyasu (68) of Japan.
Tantipokhakul fired a four-under-par 68 yesterday to hold a slender one-shot lead on 12-under-par 204 as he continues his fine form after claiming his first Asian Development Tour win last month.
Vincent, who enjoyed a stellar amateur career for both the national team and Virginia Tech University, is part of a new generation of Zimbabwean golfers angling for a move up on the world golfing map.
Last month, he earned his playing rights on the lucrative Asian professional golf circuit in style after managing a superb victory at the Asian Tour Qualifying School First Stage before finishing in a tie for fourth position at the final stage a week later.
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Vincent now hopes to fight his way onto the Asian Tour via the Asian Development Tour, which affords the top-five players at the end of the season with an Asian Tour card for the following year.
The Asian Development Tour was launched in 2010 with the aim of creating a career pathway for professional golfers in Asia.
Sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Asian Development Tour will ultimately create a new playing platform for emerging stars from across Asia and around the world.
Designed in the same structure as the Web.com Tour in America and European Challenge Tour, the Asian Development Tour is a stepping stone to the Asian Tour and the exciting world of international golf.
All Asian Development Tour events receive Official World Golf Ranking points which give players an opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro later this year.
