After nine years of attempts and failures, Tumelo Selikane has finally clinched the Nashua Independence Trophy.
The 17th handicapped Gaborone Golf Club (GGC) member fended off all the odds and a strong field of talented golfers to win Botswana’s premiere golfing tournament.
The event had attracted at least 250 golfers, both locally and from the surrounding countries.
Speaking to Telegraph Sport after his win, Selikane expressed delight at winning the trophy, which had eluded him for years. He attributed his win to hard work, saying he has had very good preparations for this year’s tournament.
The tournament, which is open to all across gender and golf handicap, is the only nett competition locally.
This year’s tournament proved to be the most challenging as golfers had to fight not only their fellow golfers but also the unrelenting winds that wreaked havoc.
Saturday was the most trying of the two days as golfers battled to find their swing and ultimately hit their drivers straight. From the first hole tee box, golfers had it tough as most hit the rough, with less finding the green.
The same problem persisted throughout Saturday, culminating with many golfers not making the cut. With the wind subsiding on Sunday, golfers upped their games as they found their swing, resulting with better displays across the course.
While many played more strokes than normal on Saturday, Sunday saw touches of good golf with some hitting under par in some holes.
Many golfers who talked to Telegraph Sport expressed pleasure at the tournament though they felt the weather made the tournament a little more challenging than is usual.
On how he managed to hold off the testing weather, Selikane said he tried to play his normal game, something which probably worked well for him.
“I tried not to attack when in trouble but played safe. Once I got out, I then attacked as much as possible,” Selikane informed Telegraph Sport. He was closely followed by Modise Modise in second position while Geoffrey Nchini came third. The ladies side was won by Gill Smith, followed by Patience Matlotse and Minkie Molatlhegi in second and third position, respectively. Meanwhile, the president of the Botswana Golf Union (BGU), Dr Andrew Hall has declared this year’s tournament a success.
Speaking to Telegraph Sport during the course of the games on Sunday, Hall said the games went well. He, however, says there is room for improvement to make the tournament much bigger and better. The BGU president says his union now has to find a way to better administer the tournament without changing its format. He says the only challenge is accommodating the large number of golfers on the first day, adding that they may have to consider turning the tournament into a three-day event instead of the current two. This year’s tournament had a total sponsorship of more than P100┬á000 from Nashua Botswana.
Golfers who did well in the tournament walked away with prizes ranging from refrigerators to microwaves and other household items.
