By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
ZAMBIA’S rising golf star, Timothy Sondashi kept up with his top billing by finishing second in South Africa at the University of Pretoria monthly golfing championship with an impressive level par-73.
In the tournament held at the Wingate Park Country Club in Cape Town, Sondashi was just a shot off the joint winners Tumelo Molloyi and Calvin Ferreira who tied on one-under-par 72.
Sondashi is in his first year of a four-year golf Scholarship at the University of Pretoria under the auspices of world governing body, the Royal and Ancient (R&A) of Saint Andrews.
Mukuka Mwango Jnr is also another local player at the University of Pretoria.
During the tournament, Mwango finished with three-over-par 76 and in joint fourth at the highly competitive event.
Mwango and Sondashi are expected to become the first Zambian professional golf experts once they graduate in South Africa.
Zambia Junior Golf Association (ZJGA) director Aloysius Phiri expressed happiness with the performance of the two, saying this was a good start from them and hoped they kept their grades high.
“We are happy with the reports we are receiving from the University of Pretoria over the performance of the two guys we have there. Sondashi has been doing exceptionally well and we are happy,” he said.
Phiri also revealed that Sondashi came off with a distinction in the equipment repair test conducted at the school while Mwango got a merit.
He said these were good reviews and that there were other reports about the two which were impressive and hoped this would go on until the end of the programme.
Phiri noted that it was ZJGA’s idea to have the two acquire the necessary golfing skills apart from excelling academically.
He said Mwango and Sondashi would be tasked to help out the local golfers whenever they were on holiday in Zambia.
“So this equipment repair course is something I expect that Sondashi and Mwango will start sharing with the locals,” he said.