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Marc Cayeux….gave it all but still came third.

THE Africom Zimbabwe Open, the biggest golfing event held in Zimbabwe for nearly a decade, came to a close at Royal Harare Golf Club last Saturday (24 April) with many an observer and visiting golfers and fans giving rave reviews and declaring it a huge success both on the administrative and playing side. April 2010 will surely be remembered as the month in which Zimbabwe regained its place in the golfing sunshine, thanks to title sponsor, Africom, anchor sponsors, Econet, Pilsener and Innscor and key sponsors, SAA and Zimplats.

For many local golf enthusiasts, this was the first time they had got a chance to watch and interact with an assortment of top class golfers in one setting. For many a junior golfer, this was a chance to watch the masters at play and glean a few tricks form what they had seen. And as it turned out, a huge crowd, made up of spectators of all ages, followed the golfers – particularly the leading groups, for the entire tournament. Such was the enthusiasm on the part of the fans that every entry on the tee box by a leading player sparked a huge buzz – you would have thought Tiger Woods was in town!

As anticipated some great golf was displayed, and those who paid their way to watch the tournament would have left the tournament contended that the money they paid was worth the experience. This was pro-golf at its best, with some amazing rounds of golf being completed, the highlight of which was Anthony Michael’s 10-under 62 in the second round which beat the club’s course record but could not qualify as an official record because of the “preferred lie” rule that was in force in the tournament due to the wet condition of the course.

Marc Cayeux and the lively Eugen Marugi had however got the tournament off to a spectacular start with the pair carding similar rounds of 8-under-par 64 in the opening round on Wednesday (21 April). The pair continued to entertain in the second round, with Cayeux taking centre stage with an inconsistent, yet thrilling round in which he had six bogeys a in the region of nine birdies and an eagle to finish on 5-under for the round. It was spellbinding stuff!

The quality of golf was so good after the first two rounds that veteran Sunshine Tour campaigner, Hennie Otto, actually predicted that a score of around 20-under-par would win the tournament. He was just about spot on! - 19-under par won the tournament, with tournament top-seed (based on Sunshine Tour Order of Merit) Jbe Kruger emerging the victor.

From a more localized viewpoint, the Africom Zimbabwe Open witnessed the coming of age of a certain unassuming golfer who many actually believe is more talented than the current go-to-guy, Tongoona Charamba. After watching a certain Ignatius Mketekete pile up a superb 10-under-par 278 total and secure a top-15 placing, one can conclude that this guy represents the immediate future of local golf – talented and as calm a player as they come, this unassuming 25-year-old could yet become the leading light of Zimbabwean golf. In this tournament, where the experienced Cayeux and Charamba were always the ones favoured to succeed, Mketekete was surely the star that shone brightest. And to this young man, the local golfing fraternity has this to say, “Step forward Ignatius Mketekete, you time has come!”

As for Charamba, who recovered from a terrible start to make the cut by the slightest of margins and eventually finish joint 39th, it would perhaps be too harsh to criticize him for a rather dour performance long on endeavour but ultimately short on quality.

This is the same man who has been on a downward spiral since the beginning of 2009, and the fact that he intends to pull out of the next Sunshine Tour event to work on his game before unleashing himself on the Swazi Open is indicative of the man’s awareness that he needs to address certain serious anomalies in his game. One observer did suggest that maybe Charamba’s time had long come and gone and the golfer is past his best but then, Charamba is only 28 and still has much time on his hands to become the finished product. His best is surely yet to come.

That Charamba might have succumbed to the pressure of being the home favourite also lends greater credence to the suggestion that all our golfers need to work with sports psychologists to toughen them up mentally. The ability is there, but the mindset to turn that potential into results on the ground is lacking. It’s an area that has to be addressed forthwith.

The 2009 Zimbabwe Professional Golfers Association (ZPGA) Order of Merit winner, Robson Saurombe also did relatively well, so did Bulawayo-based Phillip Tshuma – the two golfers showing that they have got what it takes to take on the region’s best, as did the promising Darren Bismark, who at one stage in the tournament, was on 6-under-par after two rounds before the physical and psychological fatigue perhaps took its toll. Brian Gondo also did well and was right on target – making the cut as was his goal prior to the tournament.

Incidentally, eight local professionals – Cayeux, Charamba, Gondo, Mketekete, Tshuma, Cairns, Saurombe and Bismark made the cut with the rest – Shane Pringle, Simon Katembenuka, Day Muyambo, Mike Williams, Mohammad Mandhu, Trainos Muradzikwa, Sean Farrell, Vengesayi Phiri, Mike Curtis, Mike Baylis, Julius Kamalizeni, Mairosi Katembenuka, Stuart Stovold, Akil Yousuf, Ryan Lang and Byran Rocher – falling by the wayside. Only one amateur out of 13 made the cut.

For old-boy Tony Johnstone, however, age has surely caught up with him and he will now happily revert back to the Seniors Tour where he will be up against his fellow geriatrics-to-be. On the other hand, for the likes of young professionals Anyway Katembenuka, Mohammad Mandhu and Trainos “Sergio” Muradzikwa, who was only in his second professional tournament since turning professional earlier this year, it was an experience that should set them up for the year as they fight for supremacy on the ZPGA tour.

A number of our local amateurs also took part in the tournament – with only one making the cut – 16-year old Brad Hudson, who went on to collect the top amateur prize in the tournament. But for these young guns (most of them anyway!) it was a critical learning curve that should have primed them for even bigger pursuits in future.

Youngsters such as Wingate’s Nickson Masunga and Jason Underwood, Chapman’s Clive Nguru Jr and Nyasha Muyambo, national junior team captain Ray Badenhorst as well as the country’s leading amateur at the moment Scott Vincent, would have derived much from playing against the region’s best, knowledge they should now put to good use and develop themselves to become top golfers. The same, too, applies to Kyle Basson, Dale Howie, Greg Bentley and South Africa-based Nabeel Umerji.

The crowd marshalling and general security was top notch, the officiating was great and the administration was just about perfect. The guys making up the organizing committee chaired by Livingstone Gwata, should be commended for a job well done as the tournament passed without incident, as should the volunteers who did the great job in assisting the organizing committee carry out its mandate. Special mention goes to the Royal Harare green keepers who laid on a classic championship course with well manicured greens that could have rivaled any in the world.

The great hope is that the next edition of the tournament will be even greater – and hopefully produce a local winner!

I surely hope that this is just the beginning of good things to come for golf in Zimbabwe in particular and Zimbabwe in general.

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