By Staff Reporter
news@alexreporter.co.za
Kempton Park Country Club in Ekurhuleni will be abuzz with golfers belting it out for the Tembisa Golf Club, club championship tournament.
This event will be hosted at Kempton Park Country Club on the 20th and 21st of April 2024.
This tournament attracts predominantly golfers from the city of Ekurhuleni, in particular the township of Tembisa. The event has however due to its golfing stature grown to such an extent that it now has participants coming from as far as Polokwane, Mpumalanga, North West and some from as far as KZN, Eastern Cape, Zimbabwe and the surrounding African countries.
Since 2019, Billeterie Software and Xarro Books (Pty) Ltd have been sposoring the event.
The event is set to excite both the many golfers and Dr. Kays Mguni, who is one of the directors of both companies.
There is optimism that this event will keep growing and become even bigger in years to come.
More than 160 golfers participated in the 2-day 36-hole event in 2023, and there is a possibility that those numbers will be exceeded in 2024.
The Club Championship event at any golf course is considered the ultimate competition, judging by the many success stories of those who have won this tournament at their respective clubs.
Ernie Ells, as we all now know, won the Kempton Park championship three times in a row. Then, he went on to win the World Junior Championship in the US and has since become one of the best super-star golfers the world has ever seen.
It is no secret that this is indeed the ultimate event of any golf club in the entire universe.
Last year’s tournament was won by Nzima Tsotetsi from Tembisa township in Ekurhuleni. He carried both the coveted floating trophy and a significant cheque with him, which gave him both bragging rights and the trophy.
Tsotetsi has therefore become the king of township golf after his win, and only this coming weekend will determine whether he defends and remains the King of the Jungle.
There are great players on his heels this time around who want to ouster him and become club champions in 2024.
The likes of Mzwandile Mahlangu, 2022 champion Alistair Magumise, journeyman Noel Gururu from Zimbabwe, 2019 Champion Ayanda Jaco, and the Rustenburg banger Aubrey Molefe are notable.
Tsotetsi is one of the longest off the tee, coupled with his putting prowess and delicate chipping game, should be a very tough challenge to wrestle him from being the reigning King.
Golfing pundits at the club are excited about the eventual result as they believe Mahlangu, Jaco, and Magumise will surely give Tsotetsi a run for his money.
The greatest underdogs are the likes of Thabo Phetoane and Sobantu Sibandze, who have shown glimpses of greatness in the game. Phetoane won in 2024 already, and Sibandze did himself proud in the recent Sunshine tour; Vusi Ngobeni qualifying school with a credible performance.
Ultimately, any golfer who participates can win the club championship, regardless of the golf club they belong to, Tembisa included. All participants, regardless of their B or C division level, are aiming to be the best golfer in the club in 2024.
Some hope there may be a surprise winner that could possibly come from Freddie Mahlare, Vele Mulaudzi, or Leagi Magasa. Well maybe they are correct as Scot Dunlap won a professional event while playing as an amateur, our own Dennis Hutchinson in SA won the SA Open tournament golf event as an amateur annexing professionals in the process so it can be done. The Kazakhstan event was won by a 16-year-old handicap golfer in Kazakhstan in 1956.
