Top junior golfer David Amm was on fire last week shooting rounds of 72, 65, 73 and 71 to scoop the prestigious Zimbabwe Amateur Championship at Chapman Golf Club.
BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
He must have had it at the back of his mind that it was his last competition in Zimbabwe for a while.
Today, Amm takes a dream flight to the West, to a dream country, to take up a dream golf scholarship at the University of Toledo in Ohio, US.
The 19-year-old towering golfer has won an avalanche of amateur and junior tournaments locally since he chose golf over cricket eight years ago.
It’s a massive step in the career of a golfer who has shown enough signs that he is destined for greatness in the sport.
“I haven’t decided what I will study yet but I am leaving this Sunday (today) for the United States to take up a four-year golf scholarship,” Amm told the Sports Hub.
“I have always dreamt about this since I started playing so I am really excited and looking forward to this challenge. I have played there once before and the standard is very high. I feel like it’s a big step in my career and it’s something I have always wanted to do,” he said.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“There were a few times when I thought it might never come to pass,but my coach here in Zimbabwe, Roger Baylis, kept on assuring me that it was going to happen sooner or later. So I am very happy,” Amm added.
His ultimate goal is simple, to play on the lucrative Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) tour and rub shoulders with the best golfers in the world.
It’s also his wish to one day play alongside his role model, Irishman Rory Mcilroy.
“The dream role is to be able to make a living out of golf on the professional tour and playing with some of the best in the world like Mcilroy. Mcilroy is my role model, I love his aggressive his style of play and it would be a dream come true to play alongside him,” Amm said.
Amm joins the golden generation of young Zimbabwean golfers to earn US golf scholarships and carry the country’s future hopes in the golf world.
Already, he has spoken to some Zimbabwean golfers who have done well in US collegiate golf
“I have spoken to some of the guys who have done well there such as Scott Vincent and Sean Crocker, who are already professionals. They both have assured me that playing collegiate golf is great fun and beneficial in career development,” he said.
Amm’s parents Rowland and Pam decided to home-school their son so that he could concentrate more on his golf.
The Chapman Golf Club sensation made headlines in local golf circles as an unassuming 14-year-old when he became Zimbabwe’s youngest ever participant at the 2014 Zimbabwe Open, then sponsored by Delta Beverages brand Golden Pilsener.
He also won the Junior golfer of the year and Most Improved Golfer of the year accolades in 2015 at the Zimbabwe Golf Awards while he has been a constant member of the Zimbabwe senior golf team for the past three years.
Another impressive feat achieved by the young golfer was winning his first senior amateur tournament, the Hillside Masters, at the age of 16.
He still has fond memories of that victory and many other memorable experiences in local golf.
“I have a lot of great experiences in Zimbabwe golf and I am surely going to miss my golf family here. I have won a lot here, something like 15 amateur tournaments if not more, but the most memorable was my first ever senior amateur victory, the Hillside Masters in 2015.
“I won playing against older players and I was only 16, but I managed to win. Playing here has been a great learning experience, but sadly I have to move on to a bigger challenge,” he said.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Amm is set to finish college in 2022 and turn professional.
