BY DANIEL NHAKANISO GOLF star Scott Vincent will only become the third Zimbabwean to feature in the British Open, commonly known as The Open, when he tees off in the 150th edition of the prestigious event in St Andrews, Scotland, today.
The 30-year-old will tee off on the historic Old Course this morning alongside Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes and Victor Perez from France, marking his first start in a major golf championship since turning professional seven years ago.
By teeing off in The Open, Vincent will follow in the footsteps of his legendary compatriots Mark McNulty and Nick Price, who famously won the 1994 edition of the tournament at Turnberry Golf Resort, Scotland.
Vincent will not be among the favourites to win the British Open on his major debut, but making the cut is, undoubtedly, a massive achievement.
The Zimbabwean star will, however, be quietly confident of making an impact as he seems to relish pressure of playing in big tournaments alongside some of the world’s top players as evidenced by his tie for 16th place at last year’s Tokyo Olympic Games.
The gifted golfer, who is affectionately known as Mhondoro due to his exploits on the golf course, will also head into the year’s fourth golf major on the back of a solid season on tour.
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Vincent secured a place in The Open after winning in the 2022 Mizumo Open on the Japan Golf Tour before following it up by winning the Asian Tour’s International Series England in Newcastle barely a week later.
He has also benefitted from playing alongside some of the world’s best golfers having competed on the money-spinning 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Series where he finished T20 in London and T23 in Portland.
Vincent, being supported by his family, who are with him in Scotland, told NewsDay Sport yesterday that he was relishing the opportunity of fulfilling his childhood dream by teeing off at St Andrews, which is popularly known as the home of golf.
“The preparation has been good and I’m happy that some of my family and team members will be here at the event this week. It is an amazing tournament to be part of and I’m going to enjoy the opportunity to be at the home of golf for this prestigious 150th Open Championship,” he said.
Vincent will be one of 156 competitors vying for the coveted title.
- Follow Daniel on Twitter @danielnhakaniso