•ZAMBIA’S Madalitso Muthiya lines up a putt during just-ended 2015 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open Championship at Heritage Golf Club in Bel Ombre, Mauritius. Picture by GETTY IMAGES EUROPE

By FELIX MALUNGA –

FRESH from earning his biggest career pay cheque on the European Tour, Zambia’s golf sensation, Madalitso Muthiya yesterday returned to action in Swaziland where he fired a brilliant six-under-par 65 to have a bright start at the R1 million-rich (about K618,500) Lombard Insurance Classic.
Teeing off from number one at the spectacular 72 par Royal Swazi Sun Country Club  in the Ezulwini Valley, Muthiya put up a near-perfect performance where he only dropped a single shot in the first round of this competition.
Muthiya’s only blemish was a bogey on number two before he went on a seven-birdie sinking rampage to stay four strokes behind overnight leader, Jared Harvey of South Africa.
On this hilly terrain laid out on the slopes of the Lubombo mountain range which curve gently into the valley, the 32-year-old Lusaka golfer tied for fifth with six others who included Titch Moore, a winner in Zambia 15 years ago at the now defunct Cock O’ North Championship.
Muthiya, who earlier this month earned  €6,500 (about K53,300) on his European Tour debut at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open Championship, and his group were a stroke ahead of 10 golfers inlcuding 2014 Zambia Open winner, Wallie Coetsee.
Harvey led yesterday by a shot ahead of his two compatriots, Thanda Mavundla and Dean Burmester while another South African Ulrich van den Berg was on seven-under-par 65.
Former Zambia Open champion, Tyrone Ferreira was on four-under, a stroke better than another past winner Adilson Da Silva.
This year’s Zambia Sugar Open champion, Vaughn Groenewald could only shoot level-par 72 on the opening day.
Last month, Muthiya reaped about K30,600 for his participation in the Mopani/Redpath Zambia Open and Zambia Sugar Open championships, respectively.