By FELIX MALUNGA –
THE 2015 Mopani Copper Mines-Redpath Mining Zambia Open Golf Championship, which boasts of the richest prize money of $300,000 (about K2.2 million), blasts off today with success-starved local professionals targeting history in Kitwe.

. Coetsee

With title holder Wallie Coetsee missing out at the Nkana Golf Club party this year opting to seek more fame and fortune on the Asian Tour, the scramble for the championship will be tougher with last year’s joint runners-up Justin Harding and Danie Van Tonder hoping to move a step up.
Apart from many ‘hungry’ players aiming for the top, the Nkana course, which has undergone some improvements and new features added this year, will provide another challenge to the golfers this week.
Republican President Edgar Lungu has implored local golfers to fly the Zambian flag higher by performing well and make the nation proud in the tournament that ends on Sunday.
That message seems to be sinking in Zambian players as they are promising a better outing at the 6,412-metre Nkana layout.
Local star, Dayne Moore, the only Zambian who made a cut last year, is hoping to perform better than in the previous edition and his confidence was boosted after winning a warm-up tournament in Ndola last weekend.
“I would like to win obviously. When you win you always feel confident, so my warm-up win Ndola last weekend is a boost, it boosts confidence but you don’t want to be over-confident again,” Moore said.
Moore was tied for 38 last year after finishing on two-under-par 286 to reap R17, 340 (about K10, 525 at current exchange rate).
The Ndola professional, who has been featuring on tournament authorities, Sunshine Tour events, however, conceded that the Nkana course would be tougher this year but looked good with new water features.
“The course is a lot tougher this year. I don’t know if the scores will be as low as last year, because that rough they have really grown it very long and it’s not as patchy as last year,” Moore said.
Madalitso Muthiya, who made history by becoming the first local to finish runner-up in 2006, is equally optimistic of doing better than last year when he missed a cut.
“I think the golf course this year is looking much better than last year. I think it will be slightly more challenging obviously with some features and improvements made on the 15th and 18th holes,” he said.
Another top local player, Patrick Mwendapole promised to banish the ghosts of 2014 which denied him a chance to play in the final two rounds after missing a cut.
“Last year, I missed the cut, I wasn’t a happy person but I am looking forward to making it to the final round. The first day is critical once you have a better score on the first day it will give you morale going forward. I am hoping to hit par on Thursday (today) that will be good enough for me,” a confident Mwendapole said.
Other professionals to stake their claim in Kitwe will be Kelvin Phiri, winner of the local qualifying tournament, Gibson Saloba, who led his team to victory in the MTN/EC Mining Pro-Am on Tuesday, Mohammed Zulu, Beza Daka, Geoffrey Banda, Aaron Simfukwe Snr, Jason Taylor, Bube Samutela and Bruce Chanda.
Ten top local amateurs led by Aaron Simfukwe Jnr, Gabriel Chibale and Kelvin Chibuye will also hope to slug it out with accomplished professionals in the prestigious event where four cars have also been placed on the four short holes at Nkana as prizes for any sharp shooter sinking a hole-in-one.
Having shared the runner-up berth in last year’s edition, Harding, the 2010 Zambia Open Champion will be looking to convert some promising recent form into a victory at Nkana.
Harding has history in Zambia having won the Indo Bank Zambia Open in Lusaka five years ago, for his third Sunshine Tour title, and that, taken together with last year’s performance, shows he can be in the frame again this week.