By FELIX MALUNGA –
MORE than K300,000 has been raised towards the staging of the first-ever Zambia Professional Ladies Open Golf Championship slated for Ndola next month.
However, there is still a shortfall of K221,000 from the budgeted K521,000 needed to successfully host the event on March 26-30.
Zambia Ladies Golf Union (ZLGU) president, Moono Mwila has since passionately appealed to the corporate world to come on board and help out on sponsorship for the tournament.
Mwila said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that ZLGU was in dire need of a major sponsor and also sponsorship for the tournament’s prelude, the Pro-Am.
She said the union’s biggest challenge now was to quickly find the balance as time was now of essence to their programme.
The ZLGU chief said with the newly established Sunshine Ladies Tour of South Africa already given Zambia a go ahead to stage the championship, there was an urgent need to raise the balance.
Mwila said Sunshine Tour’s decision to sanction the tournament had given ZLGU and the Alex Mashano-led organising committee impetus to work even harder and meet their budgetary obligations.
She said Sunshine Tour managed to give ZLGU a thumbs up after the union paid K125,000 sanctioning fee.
Mwila said the contract with Sunshine Tour was signed on Wednesday.
The ZLGU also said Allterrain Services (ATS) Zambia Limited will take care of catering services at Ndola Golf Club during the championship.
NFCA Chambishi Mine recently pumped K80,000 towards the staging of the event.
And the qualifying rounds for the Zambia Professional Ladies Open Championship, which were postponed, will now take place this monthend with the nation’s top amateur golfers fighting for five slots.
Mwila said the qualifiers were deferred until Sunshine Tour sanctioned the hosting of the inaugural event.
She said three legs would be held at Chainama Hills, Lusaka and Ndola golf clubs to determine Zambian envoys in the championship.