.MUTHIYA

By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –

ZAMBIA’S top golfer, Madalitso Muthiya on Sunday ended his Bearing Man Group (BMG) Classic campaign at Glendower Golf Club in joint 35th position as South African Merrick Bremner raced to victory with a superb hole-out from a greensider bunker on the 18th.
Muthiya fired level-par 72 on the final day to finish on two-over-par 218 and tie for 35 with five others.
The Lusaka Golf Club player, who had a round of mixed fortunes, sunk an eagle on the 15th , birdied the fourth, sixth and 12th and bogeyed number two, five and nine.
Muthiya, who pocketed R6,364 (about K3,691) for his efforts, dropped two precious shots on the 11th after hitting a double bogey but a birdie on the 12th and an eagle on the 15th settled the day.
Zambia’s other envoy, Dayne Moore failed to make a cut on Saturday after carding a poor five-over-par 77 at Glendower in Johannesburg to bow out on a total seven-over-par 151, missing the cut of point by five strokes.
In Sunday’s final round, it took a superb hole-out from a greenside bunker on the 18th for Bremner to win the R800,000 BMG Classic.
According to the Sunshine Tour website, the resultant birdie took him to five-under-par 67 for his closing round and 12-under-par for the tournament, and, when Darren Fichardt’s five-footer for birdie on the last edged its way past the hole, Bremner had a one-stroke edge. Rookie Haydn Porteous was third, a further shot back.
Bremner, who got R126,800 (about K73,544), said: “It took more than one good shot to win the tournament but that bunker shot on the last was something special. It was a very difficult shot, I think about 20 metres, and a little bit of turn from left to right. I just caught it perfectly, watched it bounce and trickle in.”