First Capital Bank Zimbabwe has pledged to continue its partnership with the Zimbabwe Junior Golf Association following the success of the inaugural Zimbabwe Junior Golf Open at Borrowdale Brooke Golf Estate last week.
A stellar field comprising some of the country’s finest junior golfers as well as an array of talented players from six countries including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, China, Botswana, Malawi, India and Kenya took part in the inaugural edition of the First Capital Bank Zimbabwe Junior Golf Open.
Top Zimbabwean female junior golfer Margret Nyamukondiwa and South African rising star Ivan Verster claimed the respective girls’ and boys’ titles in an exciting final day of the First Capital Bank Zimbabwe Junior Golf Open at Borrowdale Brooke Golf Estate on Sunday.
First Capital Bank Zimbabwe’s managing director Ciaran McSharry said he was impressed by the big turnout of participants and the high standard of play on display which has earned praises from other countries.
“I think the tournament went superbly well and the organisation has been amazing and we’ve had huge compliments from our neighbours South Africa etc who are saying they can learn a lot from what we have done here,” McSharry said in an interview.
He added: “Hopefully this is the first of many (such events). For us (as (First Capital Bank Limited) this is the first time we have done it and we are delighted to be involved in the beginning and working closely with the youth because this is where it all starts. We’ve got to give them a leg up, this is a good opportunity to build on the existing work that First Capital do in Zimbabwe…The talent has been amazing. This is the primary sporting initiative we have done and we will look to build on it.”
Verster, Nyamukondiwa clinch First Capital Bank Zimbabwe Junior Golf Open titles https://t.co/kkK28zaulU via @ZimsportLive @GolfRSA @FirstCapitalZim #ZimJuniorGolfOpen @GolfZimOpen
— ZimSportLive (@zimsportlive) May 29, 2022
First Capital Bank Zimbabwe’s investment in junior golf comes at a time when the Zimbabwe Junior Golf Association has been working to strengthen the country’s position as a force in golf development not only in Africa but in the world.
Many of the other players who have come through the junior golf programmes in Zimbabwe have received their tertiary education in some of the best colleges and universities in the US due to their ability as junior golfers.
Zimbabwe’s top-ranked golfer Scott Vincent, who at the weekend won his third title on the Japan Golf Tour is a product of the country’s vibrant junior golf development programmes.
Vincent is expected to follow in the footsteps of some of the country’s finest golfers such as former world number one Nick Price and multiple European Tour winners Mark McNulty and Tony Johnstone, who came through the ranks in Zimbabwe before making their mark and fortunes in the field of international golf.