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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter

THE countdown to the 2024 edition of the FBC Zimbabwe Open Golf Championship is now underway as the flagship tournament was launched in Harare yesterday with an improved purse.

The event is scheduled to take place at Royal Harare from May 5-12 with several top professionals expected to turn up.

In last year’s edition, FBC Holdings, one of Zimbabwe’s leading financial services institutions, poured in R2,2 million towards the 2023 Zimbabwe Open Golf tournament and increased it to R2,5million this time around.

After the 2022 event sponsorship, the prestigious national golf tournament was christened the “FBC Zimbabwe Open” Golf tournament.

The FBC Group’s title sponsorship showed testimony to the FBC brand’s firm commitment to playing a pivotal role in promoting the development of golf as a sport in Zimbabwe and the African continent at large.

Over the years, FBC has become synonymous with golf in Zimbabwe, having participated in previous editions of the Zimbabwe Open Golf tournament as an associate and anchor sponsor.

FBC also supported the Africa Region 5 Golf Championships which had teams drawn from seven countries including Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe last year.

This year the tournament has a lot of interest with local top professionals expected to tee off.

Top Zimbabwean siblings’ golfers Scott and Kieran Vincent will be professionals for this year’s FBC Zimbabwe Open Golf Championship at Royal Harare.

The premier golf event will showcase from May 5-12 with an improved purse of R2,5 million from last year’s 2,2 million.

Speaking at the official launch of the tournament, Zimbabwe Open Committee tournament director Michael Mahachi said they are happy that the duo who are playing in the famous LIV Golf Tour management confirmed their availability for the tournament.

“I am glad that some of us five ranked golfers Scott and Kieran Vincent play in the multi-million LIV Golf Tour. We are happy that our top five players have confirmed their availability with Robson Chinhoi who won the Zambia Open last year on the card as is Asian Tour and Sunshine Tour campaigners Ben Follet-Smith and Stuart Krog.

“I think we have a good chance and this year we have a strong field of 35 local players before the pre-qualifiers.

“We are grateful to FBC Holdings and all the sponsors for the tournament so is to Royal Harare who have been working hard to see that the course is in good shape,” said Mahachi. The tournament will see several world-class players like 2011 winner Darren Fitchard for once featuring along with his son Devon, who finished fifth at the recently held First Capital Junior Championships at the weekend.

The Fitchards will have full exemptions at the tournament with Darren a five-time Sunshine Tour winner, who is also playing in the DP World Tour formerly European Tour, playing alongside his son.