By FELIX MALUNGA –

. MUTHIYA

A record seven former winners in Zambia are eyeing the prestigious 2016 Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) Zambia Open Golf Championship in Chingola with locals led by evergreen Madalitso Muthiya also targeting history.
The former champions include Scottish Doug McGuigan, who scooped the last KCM Zambia Open staged at Nchanga Golf Club in 2011, 2008 winner, Tyrone Ferreira and Justin Harding, the 2012 champion.
Also among the 96 professionals on the Sunshine Tour who have so far signed up for the KCM Zambia Open are two-time winner, Adilson Da Silva of Brazil (2010 and 2013), 2014 king Wallie Coetsee and the Zambia Sugar Open winning duo of Lyle Rowe (2014) and Vaughn Groenewald (2015).
Also heading to Chingola where title sponsors, KCM have pumped in $150, 000 for the event slated for June 2-5, are hole-in-one specialists, Jaco Prinsloo and Allan Versefeld who starred at the 2014 Zambia Open in Kitwe.
Prinsloo won himself a Toyota Corolla 2014 model while Versfeld drove away in a Jeep Cherokee.
Other top Sunshine Tour campaigners heading to Nchanga where $130,000 has been staked for prize money are Titch Moore, James Kamte and Christiaan Basson.
There are also golfers from Namibia, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, England, Portugal, Cyprus, Swaziland, Ireland and Germany.
Muthiya, who made Zambia Open history in 2006 at Nchanga by finishing joint second behind eventual winner, Steve Basson, with a remarkable six-under-par 210, is leading the nation’s prospects alongside Dayne Moore, who was the best local performer at the 2013 event, Cosmas Mufaya and Bruce Chanda.
Muthiya has since signed up for this week’s Investec Royal Swazi Open with compatriots playing in the qualifiers for the event at the Royal Swazi Spa Country Club.
The Zambians will also play at the Lombard Insurance Classic set for May 20-22 in Swaziland.