By Twimepoki Mangani
Malawi Professional Golfers Association (PGAMW) has urged professional golfers to double their efforts and embrace experiences learnt from their participation in regional competitions.
PGAMW Vice President, Patridge Shycal made the remarks in light of Victor Kachepatsonga and Paul Chidale’s participation in the Chevron Tour and Zimbabwe Open in Harare, Zimbambwe.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA), Shycal hailed the Zimbabwe Golf Union for granting PGAMW two outright slots for the Zimbabwe Open after considering the golfer’s order of merit as opposed to qualifying on their own through the Chevron Tour.
“With the Zimbabwe Open, we had to qualify through secondment, by requesting for a specific preferential treatment so that our professionals play without qualifying. Therefore, according to the order of merit, Chidale is number 1 while Kachepatsonga is number 2 throughout the year.
The bigger picture is being able to compete and learn Victor Kachepatsonga
“We are so much indebted to the Zimbabwe Golf Association for the opportunity presented. We appreciate that the level of preparation that our golfers had cannot match the caliber of players that played on the tour but this is what they are supposed to do; they need to prepare fully when they go to such tournaments,” he said.
Shycal hailed Chidale and Kachepatsonga for their efforts during the tournament urging them to work hard to be at par with their regional counterparts.
“In the Chevron Tour they were both impressive. However, during the main tournament they didn’t perform well as they missed the cut which was on plus three as Chidale finished with plus nine while Kachepatsonga had plus five.
“The two golfers are nonetheless good players. They came up against 160 players from all over competing to be in the top 50 which is not an easy task but it was a good for them and the future is bright,” Shycal said.
Meanwhile, Kachepatsonga who tied on number 77 out of 156 in the Zimbabwe open cherished the opportunity to showcase his abilities on the big stage.
“The tournaments went well. The bigger picture was being able to go there to compete and learn from top golfers who are participating in various tours such as the European tour and the Sunshine tour,” Kachepatsonga said.
During the Chevron Tour, Chidale amassed net scores of 75, 72 and 73 and finished on position 11.
PGAMW continues to seek slots for top players ahead of the upcoming international golf competitions in Zimbabwe and Zambia in May, 2023.