Zimbabwe’s leading female junior golfer Margret Nyamukondiwa will be seeking to successfully defend her Zimbabwe Ladies Amateur Open title when she tees off in this year’s edition of the tournament which tees off at Royal Harare Golf Club on Friday.
Nyamukondiwa clinched the coveted title in last year’s edition of the National Aids Council (Nac)-sponsored tourney after winning a playoff against her national team teammate Danielle Bekker, who has been competing in South Africa.
The two could not be separated after the regulation 54-holes, finishing tied at the top of the leaderboard on a gross of 230 before Nyamukondiwa won after the playoff which was played over three holes.
As the country’s leading lady golfers brace for this year’s edition of the prestigious NAC Zimbabwe Ladies Amateur Open draws closer, Nyamukondiwa will be among the favourites after an impressive season.
The 18-year-old junior golf starlet has been in top form throughout the year both locally and in regional and international competitions.
Locally she is fresh from winning the Midlands Ladies Strokeplay at Gweru Golf Club, where she edged fellow national team player Yollander Mubaiwa in a three-hole playoff after the pair had finished tied at the top of the leaderboard in regulation play.
Nyamukondiwa also won the girls’ title in the inaugural edition of the First Capital Bank Zimbabwe Junior Golf Open at Borrowdale Brooke Golf Estate in May while she also posted good results in the Nomads South Africa Junior International and the African Junior Golf Challenge in Egypt.
A product of Zimbabwe’s junior gold development programmes, Nyamukondiwa made history seven years ago by becoming the youngest player to represent the national ladies golf team at senior level after featuring in the A and B Triangular Ladies golf tournament at the age of 10.
She has grown from strength to strength ever since, representing the country both at junior and senior level with distinction.
Margaret started playing golf at the age of eight at Wingate Golf Club under the guidance of Mr Lewis Muridzo-Chitengwa before moving to Chapman Golf Club.
She hails from a golfing family where her brother Tafadzwa has been excelling on a golf scholarship at the University of Drexel in Philadelphia, United States while her father is a committee member in the Zimbabwe Junior Golf Association (ZJGA).