Zimbabwe Open

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FBC Zim Open
Tournament information
LocationHarare, Zimbabwe
Established1979
Course(s)Royal Harare Golf Club
Chapman Golf Club
Par72
Length7,241 yards (6,621 m) (RH)
7,198 yards (6,582 m) (C)
Tour(s)Sunshine Tour
Challenge Tour
Safari Circuit
FormatStroke play
Prize fundR 2,200,000
Month playedMay
Tournament record score
Aggregate266 Nick Price (1995)
To par−22 as above
Current champion
South Africa Neil Schietekat
Location map
Royal Harare GC is located in Zimbabwe
Royal Harare GC
Royal Harare GC
Location in Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Open is a professional golf tournament held in Zimbabwe, currently played on the Sunshine Tour.

History[edit]

The tournament debuted in 1984 and was part of the Safari circuit from 1985 to 1992, a series of events in Africa played by professionals from the European Tour during the winter season. In 1991 and 1992, the event was also part of the Challenge Tour. From 1993, it moved onto the First National Bank Tour, later renamed the Sunshine Tour.[citation needed]

When it was held in the weeks preceding the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the tournament attracted some of the world's leading players who used it as a warm up to the big money invitational. Past winners include major winners Vijay Singh and Nick Price with Mark McNulty also achieving three victories, making him one of the most successful players in the event. Past winner Gordon J. Brand represented the Ryder Cup.[citation needed]

Due to economic instability in Zimbabwe, the tournament lost sponsors and was cancelled prior to the 2002 event. There were many attempts to resurrect the tournament, but none were successful until 2010.[1][2][3] The 2019 edition was also cancelled because of a lack of sponsors caused by a weak economy.[4]

Having not been played in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the tournament returned in 2022, sponsored by FBC Bank.[5] It had been anticipated that the event would be added to the 2023 European Tour schedule.[6] However, this never came to fruition, mainly due to changes in the venue qualifying criteria set by the European Tour. It is anticipated that the tournament will become a European Tour event in 2024 instead.[7]

Winners[edit]

Year Tour[a] Winner Score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up Venue Ref.
FBC Zim Open
2023 AFR South Africa Neil Schietekat 277 −11 4 strokes South Africa Jaco Ahlers
South Africa Jacques P. de Villiers
Greece Peter Karmis		 Royal Harare [8]
2022 AFR South Africa Albert Venter 278 −10 Playoff South Africa Louis Albertse
South Africa Stefan Wears-Taylor		 Royal Harare [9]
Zimbabwe Open
2021: No tournament
2020 AFR No tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2019 AFR Cancelled due to lack of funding [10]
Old Mutual Zimbabwe Open
2018 AFR South Africa Bryce Easton 272 −16 1 stroke South Africa Daniel van Tonder Royal Harare
Zimbabwe Open
2017 AFR South Africa J. C. Ritchie 272 −16 Playoff South Africa Trevor Fisher Jnr Royal Harare
Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open
2016 AFR South Africa Lyle Rowe 277 −11 2 strokes South Africa Dylan Frittelli Royal Harare
2015 AFR South Africa Dean Burmester 272 −16 1 stroke Brazil Adilson da Silva Royal Harare
2014 AFR South Africa Jbe' Kruger (2) 270 −18 1 stroke South Africa Jacques Blaauw Royal Harare
2013 AFR South Africa Jake Roos 274 −14 1 stroke South Africa Darren Fichardt
Italy Francesco Laporta		 Royal Harare
2012 AFR South Africa Chris Swanepoel 273 −15 Playoff South Africa Trevor Fisher Jnr Royal Harare
Africom Zimbabwe Open
2011 AFR South Africa Theunis Spangenberg 201[b] −15 2 strokes South Africa Matthew Carvell Royal Harare
2010 AFR South Africa Jbe' Kruger 269 −19 2 strokes South Africa Jaco van Zyl Royal Harare
2002–2009: No tournament
CABS/Old Mutual Zimbabwe Open
2001 AFR South Africa Darren Fichardt 275 −13 3 strokes South Africa Mark Murless
South Africa Bradford Vaughan		 Chapman
2000 AFR Zimbabwe Mark McNulty (3) 269 −19 1 stroke South Africa Jean Hugo Royal Harare
Zimbabwe Open
1999 AFR South Africa Jean Hugo 271 −17 2 strokes South Africa Ulrich van den Berg Chapman
1998 AFR Zimbabwe Nick Price (3) 271 −17 5 strokes South Africa Tjaart van der Walt Royal Harare
1997 AFR Zimbabwe Nick Price (2) 269 −19 2 strokes Zimbabwe Mark McNulty
South Africa Brenden Pappas		 Chapman
1996 AFR Zimbabwe Mark McNulty (2) 270 −18 4 strokes South Africa Justin Hobday
Zimbabwe Nick Price		 Chapman
1995 AFR Zimbabwe Nick Price 266 −22 1 stroke South Africa Brenden Pappas Royal Harare
1994 AFR South Africa Chris Williams 272 −16 Playoff United States Andrew Pitts Royal Harare
1993 AFR Zimbabwe Tony Johnstone 273 −15 8 strokes South Africa Nic Henning
South Africa James Kingston		 Chapman
1992 CHA Zimbabwe Mark McNulty 272 −16 9 strokes Zimbabwe Tony Johnstone Royal Harare [11]
1991 CHA England Keith Waters 282 −6 Playoff Zimbabwe Nick Price
England Grant Turner		 Chapman [12]
1990 SAF England Grant Turner 281 −7 1 stroke England Lee Jones Chapman [13]
1989 SAF Fiji Vijay Singh 282 −6 2 strokes Wales Mark Mouland Chapman [14]
1988 SAF England Roger Chapman 275[c] −6 1 stroke Fiji Vijay Singh Chapman [15][16]
1987 SAF England Gordon J. Brand 277 −11 Playoff England Andrew Murray Royal Harare [17]
1986 SAF England Stephen Bennett 277 −11 2 strokes New Zealand Stuart Reese Royal Harare [18]
1985 SAF England Malcolm MacKenzie 281 −7 3 strokes Wales David Llewellyn Chapman [19]
1984 Zimbabwe Anderson Rusike (a) Royal Harare
1981–1983: No tournament
1980 AFR South Africa Hugh Baiocchi 279 −9 Playoff South Africa Allan Henning
Zimbabwe Denis Watson		 Bulawayo
Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Open
1979 AFR South Africa Simon Hobday 275 −13 Playoff Zimbabwe Rhodesia Denis Watson Chapman

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ AFR − Sunshine Tour; CHA − Challenge Tour; SAF − Safari Circuit.
  2. ^ Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
  3. ^ Two holes were unplayable on day one.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Zimbabwe Open to bounce back". Zimbabwe Independent. 30 July 2004. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  2. ^ "Zim Open hits a bunker". Zimbabwe Standard. 13 June 2005. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Zimbabwe Open to bounce back". Zimbabwe Herald. 10 October 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  4. ^ "Financiers pull plug on Zim Open". 25 July 2019.
  5. ^ "FBC Sponsors 2022 Zimbabwe Open Golf Tournament". FBC Bank Limited. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Zim Open set to earn DP World Tour status". Zimbabwe Independent. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  7. ^ "FBC Zim Open organisers eye DP World Tour status in 2024". The Standard. Zimbabwe. 16 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  8. ^ Vlismas, Michael (7 May 2023). "Schietekat back in winner's circle". SuperSport. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  9. ^ "SA's Venter wins FBC Zim Open title". NewsDay. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  10. ^ Chitsiga, Takudzwa (11 July 2019). "Zim Open tourney cancelled again". The Chronicle. Zimbabwe. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Zim golfers stage big win" (PDF). The Namibian. 16 January 1992. p. 11.
  12. ^ "Scunthorpe's Waters on the crest of a wave". The Guardian. 14 January 1991. p. 15.
  13. ^ "England's Grant Turner". The Herald. Glasgow. 15 January 1990. p. 19.
  14. ^ "In Harare, Zimbabwe". The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 January 1989. p. 41.
  15. ^ "Roger Chapman". The Herald. Glasgow. 22 February 1988. p. 10.
  16. ^ "Richard Fish". The Herald. Glasgow. 19 February 1988. p. 39.
  17. ^ "Tournament favourite". The Herald. Glasgow. 23 February 1987. p. 10.
  18. ^ "Zimbabwe Open goes to Bennett by two strokes". The Herald. Glasgow. 24 March 1986. p. 13.
  19. ^ "Mackenzie hooks his way to victory". The Herald. Glasgow. 1 April 1985. p. 13.

External links[edit]

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