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Proud combination…Nickson Masunga (amateur qualifier for Africom Zim open) and his caddy, Stanley Bechani

The amateurs were on fire at Wingate Park Golf Club last Sunday (18 April) with three of them securing automatic qualification for the Africom Zimbabwe Open following the final pre-qualifier for the tournament. Some 68 aspirants – at least 15 of which were professionals, took to the course in the pre-qualifier in which only five players would make it into the main field for the Africom Zimbabwe Open.

At the end of what was a keenly contested pre-qualifier, the amateur trio of Kyle Basson (70) from Royal Harare, Clive Nguru Jr (71) of Chapman and Nickson Masunga (71) of Wingate made it through alongside South Africa based professional Michael MacGrady (70) and local professional Mohammad Mandhu (71).

MacGrady and Basson tied for first position on 2-under 70 while the quartet of Mandu, Nguru Jr, Masunga and Jason Underwood were tied for third on 71. With only five golfers required on the final qualifiers list, the latter four had to engage in a sudden-death playoff to eliminate one man.

On the first hole of a tension field playoff – the par-5 10th, Nguru, whose tee shot had found the bunker, recovered well to make par, while Masunga narrowly missed his birdie putt to also make par. Mandhu also made par, leaving Underwood under pressure to match his opponents from within a few yards. However, Underwood missed his par-putt, meaning instant elimination for the talented Wingate-based youngster.

Notwithstanding his playoff elimination, Underwood still has a chance of making the tournament after he was listed among the alternates for the Africom Zimbabwe Open. Alternates are essentially reserves who are on standby to take up slots in the main field in the event that a golfer who would have been initially entered for the tournament would have withdrawn from the tournament for one reason or the other.

The other alternates are national junior team captain Ray Badenhorst (72), Rob Underwood (72), Brad Hudson (73), professional golfer Simon Katembenuka (73), national amateur team player Greg Bentley (73), Daison Kamwathendo (74), Glen Cayeux (74), John Moore (74) and Zambian Patrick Mwendapole (74).

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