By FELIX  MALUNGA –
PREPARATIONS for the prestigious Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) 2016 Zambia Open Golf Championship have kicked off in earnest with the organising committee courting potential sponsors.
Nchanga Golf Club has a budget of $1 million to stage the Zambia Open Championship, the third time the cosmopolitan event is heading to Chingola.
Title sponsors, KCM have already pumped in $150,000 to take care of the prize money.
Eager to meet the budget early, the Zambia Open Organising Committee (ZOOC) has stepped up preparations by writing to potential sponsors to partner with Nchanga in hosting of the nation’s golf flagship.
ZOOC chairperson, Matthew Nkhuwa said his team was optimistic of getting positive responses soon in the efforts to organise one of the best events.
Nkhuwa said ZOOC had already started working on the Nchanga golf course before the start of the rain season.
He said the preliminary works include the clearing of the streams that meander through the golf course.
Nkhuwa also said ZOOC was waiting for the dates to be allocated for the tournament.
“We’ve informed ZGU (Zambia Golf Union) to communicate with Sunshine Tour on the dates for next year’s tournament,” he said.
The Chingola business executive, who is also a former ZGU president, said Nchanga would be ready to stage the tournament on any dates to be allocated.
Nkhuwa, however, said ZOOC was looking at either the first week of May or last week of April 2016 as potential dates for the KCM Zambia Open Championship.