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Takudzwa Chitsiga-Sports Reporter

SCOTT VINCENT has made history by becoming the first Zimbabwean golfer to book a place at the Olympic Games.

Vincent, who is playing on the European and Asian Tours, was part of the 60 players, who make it, after the qualifiers, held on Monday.

The Zimbabwean, ranked 237th, in the world, is the second Zimbabwean player to try and qualify for the Olympics.

Brendon de Jonge was the first in 2015. 

However, he could not make it for a code, which returned as an Olympic sport, in Brazil in 2016, after a 112-year absence.

Justin Rose, representing Great Britain, won gold while Swede, Henrik Stenson, took silver and Matt Kuchar, of the United States, grabbed bronze.

The 29-year-old Vincent finished in 51st place, on Monday, to make the cut for the Olympics.

Golf will be held at the Kasumigaseki Country Club, from July 29 to August 1, for men.

The women will battle for medals from August 4-7.

Both the men, and women, Olympic competitions will be 72-hole stroke-play tournaments. As was the case in Rio, the field in both events, will feature 60 players, representing their countries, for Olympic glory. 

Vincent’s qualification means Zimbabwe now has five athletes confirmed for the Tokyo Olympics. 

On Saturday, the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee announced athletes for the universality slots.  Zimbabwe received two universality slots, from the International Swimming Federation,  for a male and female athlete. 

Donata Katai and Peter Wetzlar were chosen to fill up those slots, with the confirmation to come from FINA, on July 2. 

The other three are triple jumper Chengetayi Mapaya, Peter Purcell-Gilpin of rowing and 100m sprinter Ngoni Makusha. 

Golf at the Tokyo Olympics has been hit by the withdrawal of some of the game’s finest players. American star Dustin Johnson announced, earlier this year,t he would not represent his country at the Olympics.

Then, Sergio Garcia (Spain), Tyrrell Hatton (Great Britain) and Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa), who has been in the form of his life, also followed suit.

“I have made one of the most difficult decisions of my life,” wrote Garcia on Twitter. 

“I love the Olympic Games, and it is always an honor to represent Spain, however my number one sporting priority is in the Ryder Cup at this moment. 

‘’Everyone knows what the Ryder Cup means to me. My number one objective is to qualify for the European Team by my own merit and not have to wait for a possible invitation.  ‘’To represent Spain in the Olympic Games is a gift and enormous responsibility, and requires 100% mental focus. 

‘’If I already qualified for the Ryder Cup, I would play the Olympic Games with certainty.”

However, some big guns, including new world number one, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy (Ireland), will be in Tokyo.

Earlier this year, Matsuyama became the first Japanese golfer, to win a Major tournament, when he captured the Masters, at Augusta National.

“We could only dream of something like this,” Andy Yamanaka, secretary-general of the Japan Golf Association, told the influential Golf Digest.  “Honestly, who could have even imagined it? It’s more than a dream, really. I can’t find the words to explain it. 

‘’Maybe it can be like 1957 again, our first golf boom.”