Teenage female golf sensation Danielle Bekker played the game of her life on her way to winning the Nationals Aids Council ZLGU Zimbabwe Ladies’ Open Golf Stroke championship for the first time in her budding career at Royal Harare last week.
By Munyaradzi Madzokere
One of the best emerging golf talents in the country, Bekker beat a strong field of 124 lady golfers in a three-day tournament to achieve one of her dreams.
Bekker shot rounds of 72, 75 and 72 to finish the tournament on three over 219 in 54 holes.
Playing off a scratch handicap since July, the 15-year-old golf sensation won the tournament by a massive 22 strokes ahead of Royal Harare veteran Yolanda Mubaiwa.
“I am so happy to win at last. I have been working hard at my golf. I won in Europe, did well in Orkney, and now I have won the Zim Open,” Bekker told The Sports Hub.
Bekker is already headed for Eden Course, St Andrews, Scotland, this week where R&A is hosting the bi-annual Junior British Open.
The Junior British Open is slated for July 16-18 and Bekker has been selected by the ZLGU to be the Zimbabwe representative in this tournament.
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“Going forward, I aim to do well at St Andrews next week. I would like to win the Ghana Open, and would like to place well in all the rest of the South African tournaments I will compete in. I am also defending at the Zimbabwe Ladies’ Matchplay this year and would like to win that for the second year in a row. I love match-play,” Bekker said.
“There are three other international tournaments I am playing when things get quiet here in October, November and December. And I would like to end the year well. I won an Annual National Sports Awards (ANSA) award for 2016 and I am working hard to do well internationally to win it again,” she added.
In cold and blustery conditions that engulfed the capital city last week, Bekker led from the start right up to the finish.
Former champion Batsirai Tilowakuti carded 86, 79 and 79 to finish third, while another junior golfer, Margaret Nyamukondiwa, was fourth grossing 248 over the three rounds.
Not only was Bekker the tournament’s overall winner, she also won best net score in the tournament and was the best junior golfer.
Bekker is part of the Zimbabwe team comprising Mubaiwa and Tilowakuti that will travel to Accra, Ghana, at the end of August to participate in the All Africa Challenge Trophy 2018.
