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Rumbi Masamvu……a force to reckon with in the ZLGU

When Rumbidzai Masamvu started playing golf at the young and tender age of 11, it looked as though she was just a young girl trying to be like her mum. No one could really tell that the young girl had the talent hid in her small and fragile hands and that this was destiny calling her to be what she ought to be.



Today at the age of 17, the same young girl, Rumbi boasts of being one of Zimbabwe’s top lady golfers. “Its cool to be one of Zimbabwe’s leading female golfers,” is all Rumbidzai Masamvu could say about all her achievements to date which include being top of the Championship Division Order of Merit for 2006, current Mashonaland West strokeplay champion, National Foursomes champion and recently the Manicaland Open champion. But all this did not come on a silver platter for the young and vibrant golfer who has a story to tell about her success. She insists the story is not yet over but this is just the beginning. That statement surely should send shivers to her fellow golfers.



Born on 12 January 1990 is this star in the making Rumbidzai Mitchell Masamvu, the youngest child in a family of three. She is currently doing her A’ Level at Dominican Convent School in Harare. Rumbi’s passion for the game of golf is one that was passed down to her by her parents.



“Both my parents play golf at a social level and they are the ones who introduced me to golf when I was about 11 years old,” said Rumbi who was brimming with joy as she recapped her first time to play the game. However, the road was not an easy one for the female golfer, “Junior golf is hard with all those guys saying nasty things at you but I guess parental support kept me going,” says Rumbi who is obviously indebted to her parents for all her success.



Rumbi started playing for the Zimbabwe Ladies Golfers Association (ZLGA) in 2003 but then it was just one painful dry golfing period. The only thing that kept her going was her pure love for the sport and her parent’s firm and unwavering belief that she could make it. With determination to succeed on her side, Rumbi joined Chapman junior clinics that were held every Sunday in 2005 and she even went further to get help from professional golfer, Stu Stovold, who effectively helped her improve her golf as her handicap improved from 12 to 7.



In 2005 all her hard work began to pay off as she laid claims on the Royal Junior Much Masunda Trophy in August 2005 at Royal Harare Golf Club. “I played well in that tournament and it was important to me to prove to myself that I can be good especially against the boys,”



The 2006 Mashonaland East Stokeplay is one of the victories that will forever be closest to Rumbi heart. “I was young and scared because I was playing against older ladies. I was overwhelmed by my victory such that I cried at the Prize giving,” said Rumbi who insists that all of her victories are special because they help her reflect on the progress she is making in her game.



Rumbi went on to finish the year 2006 on a high note as she was crowned the queen of Zimbabwe’s ladies golf after she finished the year ranked first in the Championship Division Order of Merit. For young Rumbi, this year has even been better as she boasts of coming out tops in the National Foursomes after partnering with Nyasha Muyambo, top in the Mashonaland West Strokeplay and top in the Manicaland Open as well as coming out second in the Mashonaland East and Central Strokeplay. Rumbi also made it into the team that represented Zimbabwe at the Gilberson and Page Trophy in Kenya early this year.



To achieve such a feat, it takes an inspired individual and Rumbi is one girl who is inspired by a lot of golfers. “If I had a dream Four Ball I would want to play with Jack Nicklaus, I share a birthday with him and I love the way he plays,” says Rumbi who is quick to mention Tiger Woods as another member of her team and our very own Nick Price. Apart from these Rumbi’s greatest inspiration is her love for golf, “I love golf, I feel so at home on the golf course.”



As for the future, Rumbi sees herself turning into a professional golfer so as to inspire more ladies to play the game. “It is all a combination of hard work over a long period of time and self discipline, so, you can never really tell where you will be tomorrow,” says Rumbi. “But I do not aspire to be anyone for my mum always says golf isn’t about competing against other people but its about playing against the course,” says Rumbi who insists that turning professional is not all that she wants but she also seeks to set a trend that ladies would want to beat in golf.



For a girl who has achieved more than most girls of her age, Rumbi can indeed live to see herself be an inspiration to young lady golfers who she says need the help of their parents if they are to be able to nurture the talent in them into something great. Could Rumbi be our own version of Annika Sorenstam? Golfzone would be more than happier, for, the young lady surely has her feet firmly on the ground. Good luck Rumbi in both your studies and golf.

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