SUNSHINE Tour - Zanaco Masters

SUNSHINE Tour

Previous Winner

JJ Senekal

Date: 04-07. Apr. 2019.

Tournament Name: Zanaco Masters

Course: Lusaka Golf Club (PAR 73)
Venue: Lusaka, Zambia

Total Prize Money: R2 000 000

Players: 156.

04. Apr.
Round 1.

Leader: Prinsloo Jaco (Rsa)
Score: 65. (-8)

Prinsloo gets hot in Lusaka for first-round lead

Jaco Prinsloo felt freed up after his tough week last week, and he made that feeling count on Thursday as he made five birdies and an eagle around the turn to take the first-round lead in the Zanaco Masters at Lusaka Golf Club at eight-under-par 65.

That gave him a one-stroke edge over Kyle McClatchie, with Chris Swanepoel and Rourke van der Spuy each signing for six-under-par 67s on the par-73 layout in the Zambia capital.

“I got off to a really good start,” said Prinsloo. “It got really hot around the turn. On the last five holes, I was fighting for a couple of pars, and I unfortunately didn’t birdie the last hole. But I’m smiling now.”

His good start consisted of birdies on one and two, before he dropped a shot on four. He birdied six and then bogeyed seven before he set off on his brilliant run around the turn. He birdied eight, nine, 10, 11 and 12 before making eagle on 13 to take advantage of afternoon conditions which were much stiller than in the morning.

“The wind dropped quite a bit this afternoon,” he said. “It’s funny here in Lusaka – it always blows in the morning and then tends to calm down – so conditions were perfect, especially on the back nine and that’s where I made it count.”

Leaderboard

05. Apr.
Round 2.

Leader: Enoch Rhys (Wal)
Score: 133.m (-13)

Enoch blitzes the par-fives to lead Zanaco Masters

Rhys Enoch played the five par-fives at Lusaka Golf Club in six-under-par on Friday to race to an eight-under-par 65 and a one-shot lead at the halfway mark of the Zanaco Masters.

He made six birdies and an eagle in his round without dropping a shot, and, together with his impressive opening 68, has moved to 13-under-par after 36 holes. Four of those birdies and the eagle came on the par-fives.

“It was just a professional round of golf,” he said. “I took care of the par-fives early and then just kept ticking. It wasn’t as pretty as yesterday’s round but I just kept making pars and I started rolling in some putts towards the end which got me up even more.”

He led Jaco Ahlers by one, after Ahlers had matched his feat of going six-under for the par-fives in his seven-under-par 66. Rourke van der Spuy carded an eventful three-under 69 with five bogeys, six birdies and an eagle to occupy third spot on nine-under, four off the lead.

Enoch started his round on the 10th, and with the back nine of Lusaka Golf Club having four par-fives on it, he was soon shooting up the leaderboard as he turned in five-under-par 33, with three birdies and an eagle on those long holes.

A birdie on the only par-five on the front none – the second – completed his par-five scoring collection for the day, but there were two more birdies to be had on the third and the ninth.

Much of his success was due to his putting. “I started making just about everything I looked at yesterday, with three 20-footers in a row which was nice,” he said. “To finish today, I holed a nice one on nine, and holed about a 10-footer for par on eight. The putter’s rolling really nicely which has helped me up the leaderboard.

“This is the best we’ve ever seen these greens. There’s so much growth and that makes it a lot easier to see the grain and because they’ve been cut down and rolled so nicely, the grain doesn’t do as much as it normally does. There are only four of five holes you’ve got to watch out for. I just feel I’m reading them pretty nicely and striking them nicely and they seem to be going in.”

The difference in the courses between last week’s tournament at the difficult Nkana Golf Club, where he finished fifth, and this week’s at Lusaka also contributed to Enoch’s success. “Last week helped with my game plan here,” he said. You just had to keep bogeys off your card, and that’s all I’m really trying to do here. It’s not negative, but if I’m in any sort of trouble with a flyer-lie here, I just play to the front edge and just try and give myself an easy look at par. That seems to be paying off.”

For Enoch, previous success around the course – he came seventh here in 2015 – is contributing to his performance this week. “This is the second time I’ve been 13-under after two rounds here,” he said. I don’t know what it is about the course. A lot of tee-shots suit my eye and I just enjoy playing here.”

He’ll enjoy it more if he keeps going the way he is. “It’s never that easy to keep bogeys off the card on the weekend,” he acknowledged. “I know it gets a little harder, so I’ve got to draw on some experience, just be really, really patient and the birdies will come because I’m playing well.”

Leaderboard

06. Apr.
Round 3.

Leader: Ritchie JC (Rsa)
Score: 204. (-15)

Lost ball no problem as Ritchie storms to Lusaka lead

Losing a ball on the 10th hole on Saturday in the third round of the Zanako Masters at Lusaka Golf Club was not enough to stop JC Ritchie storming to a two-stroke lead with a superb seven-under-par 66.

His only bogey of the day came on the 10th, but he more than made up for that with six birdies and an eagle as he moved to 15-under for the tournament. He leads a trio of players – England duo Chris Cannon and Ross McGowan, and South Africa’s Jaco Ahlers – who shared second on 13-under at the 54-hole mark.

“I had an unlucky lost ball on 10, when the spotters didn’t see it, and made bogey there – I did lip out for par – but otherwise it was a terrific round,” said Ritchie. “I’m very pleased with it. I felt it was easy for me. Two weeks of hard work on the range started to pay off today. I hit my irons a lot better than yesterday. I managed to play the par-fives a lot better today as well. I managed to keep the ball in play all day.”

On Lusaka Golf Club’s five par-fives, he made an eagle, two birdies, a par and that bogey on the 10th. That was after playing almost flawless golf around the front nine. “Any time you turn under par after the front nine here, you’re happy, because it’s so tough and demanding,” he said. “I turned three-under, and having the lost ball on the 10th dampened my spirits a little, but to jump straight back with two birdies and chipping in for eagle on 14 – that really got the round going nicely again.”

The round was just another in a long series of good ones for Ritchie, who is now in contention more often than not. “It’s nice to finally feel as if I can contend every week,” he said. “A few years ago, before my first win in Zimbabwe, I didn’t really know if I was going to carry on playing. I’ve been on a high since I won there.”

That high saw him erase a five-stroke lead that the halfway leader, Rhys Enoch of Wales, had on him. “Starting the day five shots back is a big number, especially with the guys playing as well as they are,” said Ritchie. “I thought a good 64-ish would get me right back in the mix. I saw some of the guys struggled a bit out there, so I’m really happy with seven-under today.”

Ahlers was one of the guys who struggled, as he carded a one-under 72 after his brilliant second-round of eight-under. “I completely lost my swing,” he said. “It felt as if I was playing with a hosepipe.”

Nevertheless, Ahlers managed to keep in touch with the top of the leaderboard and headed to the range after his round to try and find the swing which had him playing so well in the second round.

Cannon went around without dropping a shot in his eight-under. “I have been playing well for the last couple of day,” he said. “I was just a little tidier today, and made a couple more putts, but nothing from length really.”

McGowan went round in five-under 67, after turning in one-over, and he will be looking to add a second Zambian title to his name after he won the 2015 Mopani Redpath Zambia Open at Nkana Golf Club.

But the way Ritchie was playing will make chasing him down tough. “For tomorrow, it’s all about playing the game the way I play it, playing the course the way I want to play it and not really worrying about what happens ahead of me,” said Ritchie. “They have to chase and not me. I feel comfortable. If I keep doing what I’m doing, I hope I can get another win.”

Leaderboard

07. Apr.
FINAL ROUND

WINNER (Playoff):  Ritchie JC (Rsa)
Score: 274. (-18)

Stunning Ritchie eagle brings Zanaco Masters play-off win

He fought his way into a play-off with an incredible eagle on the last hole of regulation play on Sunday, and then JC Ritchie made an unlikely birdie on the first play-off hole to take a thrilling victory in the Zanaco Masters at Lusaka Golf Club.

He drew level with Rhys Enoch of Wales with that eagle, and then survived an excursion into the hospitality marquee at the par-five 18th in the play-off to sink a nine-footer for birdie and take his fourth Sunshine Tour title after a roller-coaster of a final round in which Enoch appeared to have the upper hand for most of the day.

“I backed off the approach to 18 in regulation play,” said Ritchie. “I had 174 to the flag and I was straight in between an eight and a nine. I asked my caddie, ‘Am I trying to make birdie or am I trying to win the tournament?’ We decided that if I jumped on a nine-iron, I could get it there. We could cover the bunker and I absolutely flushed it straight at the pin. It was all or nothing at that point.

“The play-off was tricky. I didn’t think I had a chance after Rhys hit his drive miles up the fairway – it was probably 70 yards by me. I had an extra 40 metres further than I had in regulation play. After putting it in the tent, I just tried to give myself a chance because I’m putting really well. I feel for Rhys three-putting the last, because that’s not the way you want to win it, but that’s the way it goes.”

Enoch had played the front nine as well as anyone in the final round, turning in two-under 33 without dropping a shot, while Ritchie had made three bogeys and a birdie to find the overnight lead he had held had evaporated into nothing.

“Today was the weirdest round of golf I’ve played in a while,” said Ritchie. “It just felt as if it didn’t want to go my way for the front nine. I was hitting the ball so well. I felt like I didn’t miss a shot and made three bogeys from nowhere.

“Then I really just got on a run and it seemed to fall into place on the back nine. I was five-under after the 15th and I was playing really nicely.

“Then on 16, we had a bit of a mix-up with the wind and the club. A huge gust of wind came up and I dumped it in the water. I thought it was pretty much done and I thought Rhys was going to get it to 19-under, as he was playing such good golf today. I missed a short birdie putt on 17 and I really didn’t think I had another chance.

“Making eagle with that pin on 18 was a big ask. Lots of guys were saying I am one of the only guys this week who could stop it at that pin, so to be able to pull that shot off and to make the putt – I don’t have words.”

Rookie Garrick Higgo capped a fine tournament with a closing four-under 69 to share third with England’s Chris Cannon, who closed with a three-under 70.

For Ritchie, if you include the Team Championships which he won with Jaco Strydom, this was the fourth victory in nine months, and his second in the space of the last month – he took the Sun Carnival City Challenge in August, the Limpopo Championship at the beginning of March and now this one in Zambia for his second title outside South Africa after his maiden victory in Zimbabwe in 2017.

“Africa has been an absolute blessing to me,” he said. “Every time I come out here, I feel at home. The fans are amazing. I love Africa – I’ll always keep coming back.”

Final Results