This week the Sunshine Tour ventures into the heart of the Copperbelt in Kitwe, Zambia, for this season’s Mopani Redpath Zambia Open, to be held at Nkana Golf Club from 1-4 June.
Recap
This event has been part of the Sunshine Tour since 1996, and was co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour from 2001 to 2004. It was also an event on the Challenge Tour between 1991 and 1993, as it was part of the now-defunct Safari Tour.
Last year it took a sudden-death play-off hole to produce a winner in the KCM Zambia Open, with Jaco Ahlers claiming the title by defeating Jacques Blaauw after a 17-under-par 271 share of first position in regulation. The duo were closely chased by Hennie du Plessis on 15-under and Adilson Da Silva on 14-under, while Louis de Jager made up the top-five in what was a nail-biting weekend of golf in Nchanga.
Ahlers and Blaauw will not be around to try and emulate last season’s thriller, but a strong field has been assembled nonetheless. Da Silva will seek redemption, while trying to shrug off the attention of youngsters like Luke Jerling, Herman Loubser and Jaco Mouton, among many.
Who to watch
If we use form as a measuring stick, then Justin Harding is definitely a man to watch in Kitwe. He has just come off a play-off defeat to close friend Oliver Bekker at the Lombard Insurance Classic, after some solid golf at the Royal Swazi Spa Country Club.
Returning from a European Tour event in Sicily Italy, where he finished in a share of 11th, Jbe’ Kruger must also be watched closely, because not only has he proven himself a winner on the Sunshine Tour on multiple occasions, he has won this tournament before in 2009.
And then there’s the threat of the youth, which if underestimated, can cause an upset in Zambia. Leading the rookies currently in terms of form is the trio of Zack Byrd, Luke Jerling and Herman Loubser. However, veterans like Doug McGuigan, Ulrich van den Berg, Vaughn Groenewald and Jean Hugo, are also in good form and it will be interesting to see them battle it out in Kitwe.
The course
Designed by Mark Wiltshire, Nkana Golf Club is an 18-hole woodland-style course built in 1930 and is presently under the management of Mopani Mines. The course has been receiving upgrades since 2014 when it first hosted the Zambia Open, and those included the introduction of water features to two holes – the 15th and 18th, and changes to the pond on the 11th hole.
Other upgrades on this par 72, 6,403-metre layout included the introduction of new tees and the restoration of greenside bunkers on a number of holes. Speaking earlier this year, 2017 Zambia Open Golf Championship Organising Committee chairman Emmanuel Mutati said Nkana Golf Club is almost ready to stage the event. ‘Over the last three years we have been working on the golf course. We are now just doing the minor touches to ensure that the course is fine,’ Mutati said.
Fun facts:
Founded in 1936 and right in the centre of the Copperbelt region, Kitwe is the second-largest city in Zambia.
Mindolo Dam, seven kilometres west of the city centre towards Kalulushi, has a boating club, motocross racing track, canoeing, table tennis, a good field for picnicking, swimming pool and a bar.
Mwekwera Falls, nine kilometres south-east just off the Kitwe-Ndola freeway, has a small lake and fish farms. The falls are small but scenic, with an attractive pool below.
Chembe Bird Sanctuary, 20 kilometres east on the Kasempa Road, has a small lake surrounded by woodland and is excellent for bird watching, fishing, camping and picnics.
Words and photo: Sunshine Tour
