PENNINGTON CLAIMS 6TH ESRIC TITLE

SIDVOKODVO - He is in a class of his own.

Local professional golfer James Pennington showed his class when he easily outclassed a strong field to defend the Eswatini Royal Insurance Corporation (ESRIC) Pro-am tournament played at Nkonyeni Golf Estate over the weekend. Pennington’s dominant display and immense talent saw him carding a 65 gross in the first round on Saturday to put one hand on the trophy. He also did exceptionally well in the second round on Sunday to record a 69 gross, which saw him finishing 8-under overall. He was too hot to handle as he made playing golf look easy with great shots, precision and impressive swings. He was simply a cut above the rest. The tournament attracted a total of 10 professional golfers and 10 amateurs.

Finished

Veteran professional golfer Raymond Mathonsi finished second after an equally impressive performance. Mathonsi recorded a 147 gross over the two days. In the top five were the likes of Oscar Dube (155 gross), Peter Dlamini (156 gross) and Robert Shiba (158 gross). Pennington praised the rest of the participants for giving him a good run, and conceded that his victory was not a stroll in the park. “The standard of golf is improving tremendously in the country and the more such tournaments are organised, the better are the prospects for the sport. I am obviously happy that I managed to win in the end. I wanted to prove a point in this edition, especially after my last performance, which was not convincing. I played particularly well on Saturday to reach 65 gross, something I could not achieve last time,” he said.

The soft-spoken champion also praised the sponsor of the tournament, ESRIC, for their massive role in the development of golf in the country. “I take great pride in being ESRIC’s brand ambassador and it was a wonderful feeling to compete back home as I was able to meet my friends here. As you might be aware, I am currently involved in different tournaments in South Africa including the Sunshine Tour. I will be going back there next week to compete in another tournament,” said Pennington.

He added: “My ambition is to qualify for the European Tour which carries attractive incentives. I must, however, pre-qualify for the tour, which means I must play to win the qualifying tournaments in South Africa to earn my spot. The pro-am could not have come at the right time in terms of preparations,” he said. The amateurs’ section of the Pro-am was won by the duo of Vusi Dlamini and Mandla Dlamini, with a total score of 146 points. Second placed were the likes of Welcome Mhlanga and Mongi Masuku, with a 146 total score. 13-year-old Mongi Masuku was a breath of fresh air as he swung his best shots to match the matured golfers pound for pound. Dates for the next Pro-am to be held at the Ezulwini Golf Club will be announced shortly.

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