THE country’s flagship golf tournament, the Zimbabwe Open Championship, is set to maintain its status as one of the leading golf tournaments on the Sunshine Tour schedule despite not having a title sponsor for this year’s edition, which will be played at Royal Harare Golf Club from April 20 to 23.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
The prestigious tournament was officially launched in the capital yesterday with the organising committee in collaboration with several local sponsors unveiling the prize fund of R1,8 million, which is almost double the minimum Sunshine Tour prize money requirement of R1 million.
Diversified financial services group Old Mutual Zimbabwe will take over as the major associate sponsor of the tournament, which is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, after pouring in over $70 000 towards the hosting of the event.
They join the previous title sponsors Delta Beverages through their Golden Pilsener brand and Sahwira Events Management, who both chipped in with just over
$50 000 each as the associate sponsors of the event, while the anchor sponsors include Tongaat Hulett and ZOL Zimbabwe.
Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Open Committee Livingstone Gwata, which has run the tournament since its return to the Sunshine Tour schedule in 2010, applauded the several sponsors who have come on board to make this year’s edition a reality.
“I’m particularly delighted that we have been able to stage this Sunshine Tour-sanctioned 2017 Zimbabwe Open tournament against a background of great economic challenges,” Gwata said.
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“Sponsors were understandably fewer and more difficult to find this year. It takes the generosity and corporate social responsibility of our sponsors to make an event of this nature possible. It is only after securing the pillars and cornerstones of the sponsorship that our committee is able to engage the next level of sponsorship.”
Gwata said he was confident his committee would, with assistance from local banks, be able to remit prize money to the players despite the deteriorating operating environment due to foreign currency shortages.
Before its return in 2010, the Zimbabwe Open was last staged in 2001 when the then sponsors of the flagship tournament encountered problems in paying the champion Darren Fichardt from South Africa and other players their prize money because of foreign currency shortages.
Old Mutual Zimbabwe chief group excecutive Jonas Mushosho, whose company also sponsors the Zimbabwe Ladies’ Open, said they were looking forward to having a long-term relationship with the flagship event.
“In forming partnerships, you would like to sustain the partnership for as long as possible, and, therefore, we are seeking not a temporary relationship with the Zimbabwe Open, but a long-term relationship that is mutually beneficial to both the tournament and our group.”
Mushosho said the Zimbabwe Open was worth supporting as it plays an important role in showcasing Zimbabwe as a hospitable tourist destination because of the participation of international golfers.
“We would like to contribute by making sure that we support a worthwhile cause and the Zimbabwe Open brings not only local players, but international players, which gives the country international exposure. As an international brand ourselves, it is good for us to be seen to be supporting something that gives international exposure to our country,” he said.
Old Mutual’s relationship dates back to the inception of the tournament in 1986 when it participated through its wholly-owned subsidiary CABS, who were the title sponsors of the competition from 1996 to 2001 in collaboration with other sponsors.
