Zimbabwe’s leading junior golfers have qualified for this year’s Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan after finishing second overall in the All Africa Junior Golf Team Championship at the Benoni Golf Club in Johannesburg on Friday.
The four-member Zimbabwe boys team of Keegan Shutt, Tanaka Chatora, Braydon Amm and Tawana Mangoma combined for a final round of two-under par 214 to end the week on a score of 18-over-par 882 to clinch the silver medal and a place at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup which will be played in June in Aichi-Prefecture, Japan.
Perennial winners South Africa once again proved too strong for their rivals on the continent as they emerged victorious 873 after closing with an impressive seven-under-par 209 for an incredible four-round total of 22-under-par 842 to win by 40 strokes.
South Africa will be joined at the global competition by Zimbabwe, who will be making a return to the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan after a seven year absence.
Zimbabwe last competed at the prestigious event back in 2017.
Shutt once again set the tone for the Zimbabwe team with a two-under-par 70 which ensured he finished fourth on the individual leaderboard on one-over-par, nine shots behind the gold medalist Charl Barnard of South Africa.
The duo of Chatora and Mangoma chipped in with solid identical rounda of level par 72, while Amm carded a non-counting 79.
Although Amm was unable to contribute to the team’s total on Friday, he lifted the country’s flag high in the All Africa Junior Golf Team Championship Longest Drive Competition by winning the boys’ section with a remarkable distance of 329 metres from the tee.
Meanwhile Zambia finished in third position on the team’s standings on 51-over par, 33 shots adrift of Zimbabwe while Kenya settled for fourth position.
A total of 14 African nations took part in the boys’ section of the All Africa Junior Golf Team Championship as they vied for the two tickets to the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.