ZIMBABWEAN golfers Robson Chinhoi and Clive Nguru carded opening rounds of 3-under-par 69 to finish the first day of the 2026 FBC Zim Open as the highest-ranked locals at Royal Harare yesterday.
Chinhoi, who has set his sights firmly on the title this year, ended the day tied for 20th. He sits four strokes behind early leader Tomas Gana of Chile, who surged ahead with a clinical 7-under-par 65. Chinhoi — who celebrates his 35th birthday today — anchored his round with an eagle and two birdies.
For Nguru, it was perhaps his most impressive opening at the home championship in recent memory. His round featured an eagle on the third hole and four birdies, though his momentum was slightly hampered by a double bogey on the 10th and a bogey on the 2nd.
It was also a milestone day for young prospects Michael Wallace and Darlington Chikanyambidze. Making their professional debuts, the duo carded 2-under-par 70s to sit as the next best-placed Zimbabweans on the leaderboard. Chikanyambidze, who turned pro in February, notably drew an impressive and vocal gallery for a debutant.
Stuart Krog, another of the country’s top-ranked players, joined them on 2-under-par, while veteran Ryan Cairns shot a 1-under 71 to round out the list of locals finishing under par. It was a quieter day for tournament favourite Kieran Vincent; carrying the weight of a nation’s hopes for a local winner, Vincent finished the day at level par.
Despite the pressure, the spotlight remained on Chikanyambidze and Wallace, who were jubilant after their professional bows.
“It was really nice to have the first tee shot of the tournament,” Wallace said.
“I hit the ball really well and just missed a few putts, but overall I’m really happy. I haven't had much luck in the last couple of years at the Zim Open, so it’s great to get off to a good start. I’m a small fish in a big pond now, so I can just stick to my game plan.”
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Chikanyambidze echoed the sentiment: “Today I played one of my best rounds and was striking the ball well. I told myself to just hit the greens and fairways and manage my misses, and the score followed.”
At the top of the leaderboard, a six-way tie for second place emerged, with Merrick Bremner, Allen John, Gabriel Morgan, Jaco Prinsloo, Austin Bautista, and Ryan van der Klis all chasing Gana at 6-under-par.
