• ZAMBIA’S professional golfer, Michael Chiluba (left) with another player practising on the range at Lusaka Golf Club for the inaugural Zambia Sugar Open Championship this week. Picture by JEAN MANDELA.

By ELIAS CHIPEPO –
THE Zambia Sugar Open Golf tournament tees off today with local golfers aiming to make amends in the Airtel Pro-Am at the Lusaka Golf Club after a poor showing in the Mopani Copper Mine Zambia Golf Open tournament held last month in Kitwe.
A field of 123 golfers, who include 23 Zambians, will compete in the championship with the majority of the players invading Lusaka being the top professionals on tournament authorities, Sunshine Tour circuit.
Zambia’s top golfers in Dayne Moore, Patrick Mwendapole, Michael Chiluba, Beza Daka, Mohammed Zulu and Stephen Zulu will be among the professionals that will take part in today’s Pro-Am which will be followed by the Zambia Sugar Pro-Am tomorrow.
Mopani Copper Mines Zambia Open champion, Wallie Coetsee will lead an array of South African star-performers in Christiaan Basson, who won the Lombard Insurance Classic in Swaziland last Sunday, Neil Schietekat, Jake Redman, CJ Du Plessis and Theunis Spangenberg.
Dethroned Zambia Open champion, Adilson Da Silva of Brazil with other past winners, Justin Harding, Desvonde Botes, Tyrone Ferreira and Titch Moore, winner of the now defunct Cock O’ North, which used to be an annual traditional fixture for Ndola Golf Club, will also take part.
Impressive Italian Francesco Laporta and South African Jean Hugo, who tied for fourth at the recent Mopani Zambia Open, are also heading to Lusaka.
With four luxurious vehicles up for grabs on the picturesque Lusaka course, Jaco Prinsloo, who won himself a Toyota Corolla 2014 model worth K250,000 at the Mopani Zambia Open, is also back hunting for a second car on Zambian soil within three weeks.
South African Andre Cruse, who defied medical advice to stop playing golf due to eye problems, is also returning to his favourite hunting ground in Lusaka where he sunk back-to-back holes-in-one in 2001 and 2002.
Zambia will line-up 10 professional golfers with 13 amateurs also trying their luck against some of the most accomplished golfers.
Some of the professionals and amateurs who featured at the Mopani sponsored event last month in Kitwe are missing from the final list for the Zambia Sugar Open.
The local golfers vying for honours at the prestigious Zambia Sugar Open include Dayne Moore, the nation’s best performer recently during the Zambia Open in Kitwe, Madalitso Muthiya, a household name of Lusaka Golf Club, Patrick Mwendapole and Beza Daka.
Others are Michael Chiluba, Mohamed Zulu, Stephen Mbewe, Geoffrey Banda, Kelvin Phiri and Francisco Banda.
The local amateurs will be led Aaron Simfukwe jnr, Peter Munyinya, Timothy Sondashi, Gabriel Chibale and Kelvin Chibuye. Other amateurs are Mukuka Mwango jnr, Abhinav Walia, Denmark Mulambo, Charles Shalubobya, Rajnish Sharma, Henry Malembeka and Dez Ng’andu.
During the Zambia Sugar Open which will run from June 5 to 8, a Hyundai Elantra sponsored by Yeti Motors will placed on par-five 18th hole where any golfer who will sink an albatross (three-under) will drive off to the Lusaka club house.
Other three vehicles which include a Jaguar will be placed on three short holes where accurate shooters who will sink holes-in-one are guaranteed of putting keys into the ignition block.
The three vehicles will be put on number nine, 11 and 16 with sponsors being Jaguar, Yeti Motors and Southern Cross Motors while Goodyear has also donated a set of tyres which will be positioned on the 18th for the first player to sink an eagle.