Rising Zimbabwean amateur golfer Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa birdied three of his last five holes including a near ace on his final hole, the famed par-3 9th at The Course at Yale, to secure a one-shot victory at the Yale Spring Invitational in New Haven, Connecticut on Saturday.
Nyamukondiwa, a first-year transfer with the Drexel University Dragons, shot three-under par in the second round of the day after shooting even par in the morning round. His 3-under total consisted of rounds of 70-67 as he helped the Drexel golf team to a third-place finish at the Yale Spring Invitational.
The former Heritage School student had six birdies in his second round on his way to a career-best 67.
He led all players in the field with eight birdies overall. Nyamukondiwa started on the back in the afternoon round and was even after nine holes. The junior closed his afternoon with birdies on three of the final five holes and looks to be in peak form for the Colonial Athletic Association Championships, which begin next weekend.
The Dragons finished the day with a pair of nine-over-par scores of 289. They finished four shots behind Yale and two shots behind Temple. The tournament was held at the Yale Golf Course, which was playing at 6,795 yards.
Nyamukondiwa was the only Drexel player to place in the top 10. Angelo Giantsopoulos shot 147 (+7), one shot better than teammate Griffin Mitchell. Drue Nicholas was at 10-over par.
Drexel will head home for a few days before heading to South Carolina for their last two events of the year. The Dragons will face the University of South Carolina Beaufort on Thursday before beginning the CAA Championships over the weekend.