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Akil Yousuf……….the ZPGA president

The year 2009 has been an interesting one for local professional golfers with several high profile tournaments in which the winners were well rewarded. The season has been competitive and the cash rewards have added an extra bite to the competition. After enduring a forgettable 2008, the local professional golfing scene seems to be on the up with regular golf action now the norm. Having overseen the Zimbabwe Professional Golfers Association (ZPGA)’s golf affairs for nearly two years now, the association’s president, Akil Yousuf was confident of a successful conclusion to the ZPGA season and upbeat about next year's prospects.

"This year was a stepping stone for us (ZPGA) and next year should be even better," the diminutive Yousuf told Golfzone.

Yousuf also stressed that professionalism is now the norm at the ZPGA. He stated, "We have worked really hard to spruce up our image as professional golfers and have managed to do that. We now have 32 regular players on the local tour and only those that are registered with the ZPGA play in our tournaments. We have certainly cleaned up our act."

Indeed, the professional approach to things has already begun to produce results with corporates pumping in more money into the local game. Already, several tournaments have been held this year with two more likely to be held before year-end.

“We are likely to have two more tournaments this year – possibly in Mutare and Bindura and we are currently holding discussions with the prospective sponsors,” said Yousuf.

“We only had one tournament last year which I sponsored but given that we have had six or seven this year, we have done well. Since I came into office I have made it a policy of going out to the corporate community and restoring the faith in the ZPGA. It’s a resurgence so to speak. I wouldn’t say we are out of the woods yet but things are definitely beginning to turn.”

As local professional golfers look forward to one or two more big pay-days before the end of the year, the more distinguished performers on the local tour this year are set for some Sunshine Tour action next year. Normally, the top five players on the ZPGA tour at the end of the year are entitled to Sunshine Tour cards but there is likely to be a slight change in the way the cards are allocated as Yousuf revealed:

“We have Sunshine Tour cards for 2010 but what we have done this time round is that we are not issuing out any cards until the golfers to whom we are supposed to issue out the cards have paid up their subs and also undertook to play in at least 80% of the Sunshine Tour events next year.”

“This is because we have had a situation where the guys who had tour cards for 2009 have not even showed up for even one of the Sunshine Tour events this year and the Sunshine Tour guys are getting agitated over this business of ‘no shows’ by Zimbabwean pros. So what we want to avoid is a situation where someone without sponsorship gets a tour card but doesn’t utilize it while someone who can afford to play in SA and has sponsorship sits by because he doesn’t have the tour card,” explained Yousuf.

In light of this year’s experience, Yousuf called on his fellow professionals to maintain a business-like approach in the way they do things and be prepared for the step up into the big time.

“The guys who know they are eligible for a Sunshine Tour card should have their sponsorship sorted out before undertaking to go on the tour,” said Yousuf. “There is no use in first getting the tour card and then trying to run around seeking sponsorship afterwards. In this business, you need to be organized if you’re going to carry yourself forward.”

Yousuf also indicated that his association is considering offering up the cards to those golfers who can afford to go and compete in South Africa if the ones automatically entitled to the cards cannot guarantee their participation on the Sunshine Tour.

“It is definitely something we may have to do because if you get the card and don’t use it, you are not utilizing a spot that someone who has sponsorship could have put to some use,” Yousuf said. “At the same time, the guys at the Sunshine Tour will get even more disillusioned by our failure to guarantee our golfers’ regular participation on the tour.”

Yousuf indicated that at the moment, Mohammad Mandhu and Robson Saurombe have confirmed that they will be playing on the Sunshine Tour next year. The other three golfers who will get the tour cards are still to be announced but one of the three, Ignatius Mketekete is expected to confirm his participation on next year’s tour.

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