By FELIX MALUNGA –

THE Zambia Open Organising Committee (ZOOC) has managed to secure sponsors for the two Pro-Ams that will precede the prestigious 2014 Mopani Copper Mines Zambia Open Golf Championship set for Kitwe.
Nkana Golf Club captain, Elario Musonda said the organising committee had found two sponsors for the preludes to the annual golf showpiece.
Responding to a question during a Press briefing held at Nkana Golf Club on Friday, Musonda said the names of the sponsors for the two official Pro-Ams would be announced at an appropriate time.
He said Nkana was also considering hosting a tournament for sponsors dubbed Executive Sponsors Championship before the two Pro-Ams.
ZOOC chairperson, Emmanuel Mutati paid tribute to the sponsors who had expressed interest and desire to partner with Nkana to host the tournament.
Mutati said ZOOC was inviting more sponsors to come on board and share the exciting journey of hosting arguably the best-ever Zambia Open Championship.
While commending members of ZOOC for their dedication and commitment towards the staging of the event, Mutati implored them not to become complacent now, saying rest would only come after the tournament.
He reiterated that the Mopani Zambia Open Championship was a great opportunity for Nkana Golf Club to showcase the potential of Kitwe.
“We are therefore thankful to our city fathers through the office of His Worship the Mayor for all the support rendered to us so far. We are aware that it is through the partnership between Mopani and Kitwe City Council that the 4.9 kilometre road from 11th Street to the golf club is being worked on at a colossal K13 million,” the ZOOC chief said.
Mutati also commended title sponsors, Mopani and the mining firm’s chief executive officer, Danny Callow for the commitment exhibited towards the Zambia Open.
“I can confidently say come May 2014, we will be ready to host our visitors and offer them a unique golfing experience,” he added.
So far ZOOC has raised more than $300,000 (about K1.6 million) from the pledged $1 million by various stakeholders towards the staging of the cosmopolitan event on May 12-18.