ZIMBABWE is among the 36 nations men’s 2023 World Amateur Team Championship (WATC) edition set for the United Arab Emirates in October.
The competition, popularly known as the Eisenhower Trophy, will run from October 18 to 21 at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
However, Zimbabwe will not be represented in the women’s competition where 36 nations will play for the Espirito Santo Trophy from October 25-28.
Last year, the Zimbabwe team comprising Rasheed Mohammed, Keegan Shutt and Clifford Sibanda finished in position 61 out of 71 participating nations.
The Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA) is yet to announce the team for this year’s competition.
But players such as David Amm, Clive Muchenje, Innocent Mukumba, Tanaka Chatora and Shutt are in contention based on their performances on the ZGA order of merit this season, while others such as Tariro November and Michael Wallace are likely to miss out after they moved to the United States for school.
In the Eisenhower Trophy, each team has two or three players who play 18-holes of stroke play over four rounds
It is the first time the event, which was first held in 1958, will be held in the Middle East. It will also be the first time the event has been held with a reduced scope of one golf course and 36 teams to lessen the cost and complexity of hosting the event.
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“The fact that this is the first time since its 1958 inception that the WATC has been held in the Middle East is both significant and exciting, as it will hopefully generate more interest in golf throughout the region,” International Golf Federation president Annika Sorenstam said.
“Many of the most recognised players in the game have represented their countries at the World Amateur Team Championships, including more than 70% of the men and women who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“We look forward to witnessing the exceptional talent on display in Abu Dhabi this October and thank the Emirates Golf Federation for its excellent work in preparing for the event,” Sorenstam added.
Teams that finished in the top 10 in the 2022 WATC were automatically accepted into the field, as was the host country, the United Arab Emirates.
The remainder of the field was filled based on the World Amateur Golf Ranking or WAGR of the best two players from each country.
