Sixteen-year-old Tanaka Chatora asserted himself as one of the brightest prospects on the local golf scene after he shot impressive scores of 67 68 and 76 to win the 2023 Roland Park Open Golf Tournament in Zvishavane last weekend.
It has been an impressive season for the teenager competing against seasoned amateur golfers and has bagged his second win following his win in the Midlands province back in June.
The two wins have propelled Chatora in the top three on the 2023 Zimbabwe Amateur Order of Merit standings.
Chatora is a beneficiary of the Africa High Performance Programme Camp which was initiated in 2022 by the International Golf Federation, R&A, Olympic Solidarity Fund and the local partner is the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee.
So far he has been to the Academy twice in July this year and December last year.
The young golfer took to social media to celebrate his triumph as he shifts focus to junior competitions.
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“A great weekend at Roland Park to get amateur win number two. I played some great golf this weekend, just a bit disappointed that I couldn’t finish the last round with a low one but nevertheless it was enough to get me over the line. This wouldn’t be possible without my parents’ support and the coaching that I get from Simon Murungweni and the team from the Africa High Performance Camp. It’s time for some recalibration before the junior majors and Zim Junior open,” The Heritage School student said.
Chatora finished the tournament with a 2 – Under – par 211 score despite a poor final round thanks to a brilliant first couple rounds on the first two days.
William Geach was one short behind Chatora in second place while one of the country’s top amateur golfers, Innocent Mukumba, settled for third place despite finishing with a disappointing 7 – over- par score.
About 62 golfers participated in the tournament which was won by Munashe Ndaruza last year but Ndaruza was not available to defend his title this time around.
Chatora was part of the Zimbabwe team which took part at the Africa Region 5 Amateur Golf Challenge which was held in Lilongwe, Malawi, in May.