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Darlington Chikanyambidze at the Mashonalaned East Amateur

DARLINGTON Chikanyambidze continued his red-hot form on the local circuit, making history as the first-ever winner of the Mashonaland East Amateur Championship, an inaugural event held at Marondera Golf Club over the weekend.

Chikanyambidze, in the form of his life, secured a commanding 10-shot victory over Nathan Van Rooyen, etching his name in the annals of Mashonaland East golf. He now also sits atop the Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA) Order of Merit (OoM) with 304 points.

He carded an impressive five-under-par 211, while runner-up Van Rooyen finished on five-over-par 221. The Royal Harare member opened the tournament with a two-under-par 70, tied with Van Rooyen. His round included an eagle, two birdies and two bogeys. He bogeyed the first hole before picking up a birdie on the fourth, added another birdie on the 12th, eagled the 17th, and closed with a bogey on the 18th. It was in the second round that Chikanyambidze truly dominated, opening an eight-shot lead with a breathtaking nine-under-par 63. He dropped just one shot in the penultimate round, which featured eight birdies, an eagle, and a bogey. He started with a birdie on the first hole, bogeyed the third, and then went on a birdie spree. He birdied the fourth, followed by an eagle on the fifth and three consecutive birdies on holes six, seven and eight, before adding further birdies on 12, 14 and 17. Chikanyambidze closed the tournament with a six-over-par 78, which included two birdies, two bogeys, and two triple bogeys. He birdied the 10th and 11th holes, bogeyed the first and 16th, and recorded triple bogeys on the seventh and 17th holes.

Van Rooyen finished with round scores of 70, 71 and 80, while Toby Ellis claimed third place on six-over-par 222, carding rounds of 74, 72 and 76.