By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
AFTER disappointing outing at the Zone-Six and Africa Junior Golf tournaments, the Zambian junior golfers have a chance to redeem themselves when they compete in the Tri-Nations tournament slated for August in Kenya.
Zambia Junior Golf Association (ZJGA) director Aloysius Phiri said in an interview that while his association could be disappointed with the performance at the two competitions, it remained enthusiastic about the future of the juniors.
Phiri said his players had been invited as guests to a Tri-Nations Annual tournament which makes Zambia to be the fourth team at the tournament that has hosts Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
“We may not have performed as well at the Zone-Six and also at the Africa Junior Championship, actually we are disappointed but we shall keep giving these guys opportunities,” he said.
At the Zone-Six Seniors’ tournament held in Uganda, Zambia finished sixth after a last day collapse that saw them drop two spots at a tournament that Uganda won for the first time with yearly winners South Africa relegated into second.
And then when the juniors, who made up the core of that Zone-Six team, came to the four-day Africa Junior tournament held in Lusaka, they finished third, for the third straight year behind winners South Africa and second placed Zimbabwe.
Phiri was left less than impressed with the third place finish especially that it was just seven points off Zimbabwe and also aided a poor run on the last day where just one player met the targeted daily score.
“I was disappointed because we have been number-three for three years and we are fade up with that. We want to win or at least finish second. We also missed out on making the World Junior Golf Championship where Africa’s top to qualify to,” he said.
He said the Kenya outing will provide the juniors an opportunity to get exposure and raise their competence levels.
Apart from the Kenya outing, Zambia may take part in one more international in form of the quadrennial played with Zimbabwe, Botswana and Malawi.