Nine golfers pull out of Zambia Open
By Sports Reporter
NINE top golfers including 2006 Zambia Open joint runner-up, Chris Williams have withdrawn their participation in this year’s prestigious championship set for Ndola next month.
Williams, who tied with Zambia’s prodigy, Madalitso Muthiya on six-under par 210 at Nchanga Golf Club tournament won by Steve Basson in Chingola, pulled out of this year’s competition alongside 2010 British Open champion, Louis Oosthuizen and Africa Open king, Charl Schwartzel, who withdrew earlier.
The 51-year-old South African, who has 10 Southern Africa Tour victories including the 1994 Zimbabwe Open, had also withdrawn from last year’s Zambia Open championship.
Other top South African golfers not coming to Ndola are Jean Hugo, Callie Swart, Gerhard Trytsman and Patrick Snyman.
Englishman, Neil Cheetham and Senegalese, Babacar Sadikh Diouf also removed their names from the list of golfers on the Sunshine Tour who will try to wrestle the title from South African, J’be Kruger.
After the withdrawal of nine players, the entries for the R850,000-rich (about K552 million) competition now stand at 151 with South Africa entering 129 professionals while Zimbabwe has seven players, who include two-time winner, Marc Cayeux.
Zambia’s Michael Chiluba is so far the only local player on the Sunshine Tour who has been entered for the tournament.
Uganda, Taiwan, Namibia, Malawi, Kenya, Canada and Brazil have a player each while England has three.
The kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland have two entries each.
Apart from Kruger and Cayeux (1998 and 2002), other past winners heading to Ndola are Tyrone Ferreira (2008), Steve Basson (2006 and 2007) and Desvonde Botes (1996).
Last year’s runner-up and winner of the defunct Cock of the North, Titch Moore and 2001 Cock of the North champion, Sean Farrell are also among top contenders for this year’s 54-hole event set for August 27-29.
And Zambia Open Organising Committee (ZOOC) chairperson, Alex Mashano has passionately appealed to all would-be sponsors who made pledges towards the championship to begin releasing the money as promised.
Mashano said ZOOC was working hard to ensure the money pledged was mopped up to guarantee the $250,000 (about $1.2 billion) budget for the tournament.
Last Thursday, Mashano announced that $105,000 (about K525 million) had so far been raised and 50 per cent of R850, 000 prize money had been deposited with tournament authorities, Sunshine Tour.
