Simfukwe wins Windhoek Lager Africa Jacket title

UPCOMING Zambian golfer Aaron Simfukwe won the Men’s A Division of the Windhoek Lager Africa Jacket golf tournament in Windhoek over the weekend.

The 24-year-old Simfukwe completed the 54-hole A division with a total score of 217 after rounds of 71, 73 and 73, to finish three strokes clear of Sifiso Vilane of Swaziland, while Tonderayi Masunga of Zimbabwe came third with a score of 226.

Simfukwe is one of Zambia’s top young golfers and last year won the Roan Open for the third year in a row, the Nkana Open and the Mazabuka Open.

The Windhoek Lager Africa Jacket saw the top amateur golfers of 11 African nations competing in the finals in Windhoek, after winning national competitions.

The B division for players with handicaps from 10 to 16 was won by Wandile Ntombini of Swaziland with a total score of 247, while Namibia’s Mario Polster came second on 248 and Salimu Karemela of Zimbabwe third on 255.

Sydney Maregedze of Botswana won the C Division (handicaps 17-24) over 36 holes after beating Phineas Lukhele of Swaziland on a play-off. They both finished on 68 points while Hendrik Pluim of South Africa came third on 60.

For the first time in the tournament’s history a women’s competition was also held and Gillian Hammond of South Africa eventually took the honours with 64 points, while Malebogo Morebodi of Botswana came second on 61 and Milias Mulanga of Zambia third on 59 points.

The competition has grown in leaps and bounds since it was introduced in 2014. Only five countries competed that year, but it doubled last year, while 11 African nations competed this year. The competing nations were Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland, Botswana, Uganda, Seychelles, Maurutius, Kenya and Tanzania.

Each country had four qualifying tournaments with the top three results counting and the winners then qualifying for the finals in Windhoek.

Another first was the finals of the South African International Pairs competition which was hosted in Namibia for the first time after Windhoek Lager came on board as the official sponsors.

A total of 24 pairs from 14 regions in South Africa competed in the finals at the Windhoek Golf and Country Club and Omeya Golf Club over the weekend, with Mark Roux and Jeanne Koegelenberg of Darling Golf Club winning the trophy with a total of 86.

Nico van der Westhuizen and Johan Groenewaldt of Sishen Golf Club came second on 83 and Rikus Oosthuizen and Piet Oosthuizen of Albertina Golf Club third on 82.

The top two pairs have now qualified to compete in the World International Pairs in Spain later this year.

The tournament was concluded with a gala dinner on Saturday evening where the president of the African Golf Confederation, Ambassador Joe Malangi of Zambia had glowing words of praise.

“This is only the third year that this tournament has been staged but it has grown from strength to strength. Our motto at the Africa Golf Confederation is to harness all areas and to identify new talent and this tournament has gone a long way in achieving that. The organisation and logistics was fantastic and we all had a wonderful time in Namibia,” he said.

The former president of the South African Golf Association, Gerhard Conradie was just as effusive in his praise and called for a standing ovation.

Walter Haseb, the acting chief administrator of the Namibia Sport Commission delivered a speech on behalf of Minister of Sport Jerry Ekandjo.

“A big thank you goes to the sponsors Namibia Breweries and Windhoek Lager – we are grateful and we realise that hosting this tournament with all the African countries costs a pretty penny. We know that Namibia Breweries is one of the biggest supporters of various sport codes in Namibia including soccer, rugby and golf, so thank you once again and keep up the great work,” he said.

“We believe that sponsors such as Namibia Breweries not only take their brand and promote it within the country and beyond, but also inherently promote the overall image of Namibia in a positive way which in turn leads to possible new investors and more tourists,” he added.

Windhoek Lager Golf Jacket Ambassador and Namibia’s greatest golfer Trevor Dodds was also present after being flown in from the United States where he currently lives.

Dodds addressed the audience, along with a former South African golfing great Dale Hayes, and recounted some of the highlights of his career as well as the importance of the Windhoek Lager Africa Jacket tournament.

“It’s such a privilege to be here and its been one of the greatest things to have happened to me – its given me an opportunity to visit my family and friends and I feel like I’m part of a golfing fraternity where we all are brothers,” he said.

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