BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
ZIMBABWE’S top-ranked amateur golfer Kieran Vincent has been rewarded for his exemplary behaviour and success on and off the golf course at Liberty University in the US after being named the recipient of the 2021 Rock Royer/Mac Rivera Award.
The Rock Royer/Mac Rivera Award is regarded as one of the most esteemed individual accolades at the private evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia.
It was established in 1974 to honour the institution’s graduating senior student-athlete who has maintained an exemplary testimony on the playing field, in the classroom and among the student body.
Liberty University’s head men’s golf coach Jeff Thomas described Vincent as a worthy recipient of the award after overcoming injury problems which sidelined him for the entire 2017-18 season and some part of the 2019 season to become one of the top amateur golfers in the US.
“Kieran chose Liberty for all the right reasons and decided to come to Liberty over many other Power 5 options. During his time at Liberty, Kieran has had many trying times and injuries. He fought through those injuries with a positive attitude and has become one of the top NCAA Division I golfers in the country,” the Liberty coach said of Kieran, who is a devout Christian.
He added: “Kieran loves the Lord and is always looking out for other people, and I can’t think of a better example of a representation of what we want out of a Liberty student-athlete.
“Kieran is a leader and started a Bible study for the players this past year. He continues to push himself in his relationship with Christ. His results on the course stand for themselves. He is having the best results of anyone in Liberty men’s golf team history, continues to work hard and continues to grow each week on and off the course.”
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Since joining Liberty University on a golf scholarship in 2016, Kieran has been the institution’s standout player, as he follows in the footsteps of his brother Scott, who enjoyed similar success at Virginia Tech before joining the professional ranks.
Scott is now Zimbabwe’s top-ranked professional golfer plying his trade on the Asian, European and Japan Golf Tours.
And his 23-year-old younger brother Kieran could soon be joining him on the paid ranks, judging by his impressive performances for the Liberty University golf team, which competes in the top-tier National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I.
Kieran is one of the most accomplished golfers in Liberty’s history and was ranked as high as number six individually in the US by the official source for college golf scores and statistics Golfstat during the 2021 US spring season.
The former St John’s College student was named to the 2021 Fred Haskins Award Watch List which recognises the top collegiate golfers in the US, becoming the first Liberty player in programme history to be named to this award’s annual watch list.
Vincent, who was awarded All-American honours by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) last year, holds a 71.79 career stroke average for Liberty. He has played 49.6 percent of his career rounds at par or better (60-of-121).
He completed his undergraduate degree in Business Administration: International Business in December 2019 and will complete his master’s degree in Exercise Science and Wellness: Fitness Specialist in December 2021.
Outside of his success on the golf course and in the classroom, Vincent has spent many hours helping with community service projects.
“The Rock Royer and Mac Rivera Award is one award that I was not very familiar with until I became a senior. Since my research, I have come to realise just how prestigious this award really is and just how much of an honour it is to be selected,” commented Vincent.
“The countless names who have won this award in the past are true members of what this award and Liberty both stand for, and to have the ability of my name etched in history alongside some of the names would make my five years at Liberty truly unique.”
“Just as travelling thousands of miles to obtain an opportunity to play and compete at the highest level, I have been shaped and moulded uniquely into the person I am today because of the people I have encountered over my time whilst I have been at Liberty.
“From coaches, professors, academic advisors, teammates, roommates, right through to just plain brothers and sisters in Christ, I have not only enjoyed my time with each and every one of you, but also have each of you to thank. I truly believe my time here has equipped me with the necessary tools to go forward and train others to be champions for Christ, and I am so looking forward to doing just that because of the investment which was input to me,” said Kieran.
