ZIMBABWEAN golfer Stuart Krog continued his rich vein of form by cruising to the 2026 Lowveld ProAm title yesterday, carding a final-round two-under-par 70 to secure a commanding six-shot victory at Hippo Valley Estates Golf Club and his second title in three starts.
The victory capped another dominant display from the in-form 30-year-old, who finished on an impressive 15-under-par 201 to build on his Mopani Zambia Open triumph a fortnight ago and further cement his status as one of Zimbabwe's leading professional golfers.
Krog, who walked away with the US$10 000 winner's cheque, laid a flawless foundation for victory with earlier rounds of 68 and a sensational 63, before closing it out with his 70.
Reflecting on his victory, Krog admitted protecting a sizeable lead presented its own challenges.
“I played good all three days, just pretty tough. You know, it's such a big tournament; I had a lot to lose. I just fought back, stayed where I was, and happy to get it done in the end."
While June has undeniably been kind to him with two major silverware hauls, Krog attributed his sudden surge in form to long-term dedication rather than seasonal luck.
"I don't think it's June. I think it's the previous 10 years of hard work, and it's now coming to fruition. It's very encouraging for me to keep putting in the hard work, and I'm excited about where my golf is right now," he said.
Krog said the Lowveld ProAm was also an important platform for developing local talent and strengthening golf in Zimbabwe."Any golf tournament is great for our local players and it's only going to help us going forward. I learned a lot of lessons today that will help me in the future, and we can't thank the sponsors enough for everything they do."
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Portuguese golfer Stephen Ferreira produced one of the rounds of the day with a four-under-par 68 to climb into a share of second place, while Zambian Sydney Wemba Wemba, who started the final round five shots behind Krog, carded a one-under-par 71.
Visitor Mapwanya, buoyed by strong local support, finished fourth on seven-under-par after closing with a level-par 72.
Robson Chinhoi rounded out the top five at four-under-par following a final-round 71.
Vincent Chidambazina emerged as the leading amateur after finishing ninth overall on one-under-par. He and Elton Zulu were the only amateurs to make the cut.
Main sponsor Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe, supported by several corporate partners, invested US$60 000 into the tournament, which formed part of Hippo Valley Estates' 70th anniversary celebrations.
Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe head of corporate and industry affairs Dahlia Garwe said the tournament had exceeded expectations.
"I don't even have the words to describe it. We were of course expecting it to be a good tournament because we had a good field of 72 professional players and 64 amateurs. And I'm telling you, what I've seen today is just amazing. And wow, what a day for those that love golf," she said.
Garwe said the tournament was steadily establishing itself as one of the region's premier golf events.
"Although this is still a young tournament—I think this is probably the third one we've had—what it tells us is that it is coming up as a real fixture in the golf world. So we are expecting that this will continue to grow and that it will become, perhaps not as big as the Zim Open, but certainly very close," she said.
