EZULWINI – Eswatini successfully secured a top-five finish as the prestigious Region V Championship concluded yesterday at the Ezulwini Country and Golf Club.
The tournament, which saw nine Southern African nations battle for supremacy on the greens, showcased high-level competition from its start on Tuesday through to the final round.
The Republic of South Africa (RSA) emerged as the overall winners, demonstrating remarkable consistency across all three rounds of play. South Africa finished with a commanding total score of -18, after carding -1 in Round 1, -2 in Round 2 and closing with a strong -2 in Round 3. Their performance was bolstered by a phenomenal -13 during the Better Ball (BB) session. South African Golf Union President, Henk Smith, who also served as the team manager, praised his team’s resilience.
“We played well, though yesterday was a bit difficult. We improved by the day and all three rounds were quite similar in terms of our focus. The course here is exceptional—it’s a tough course, but we got the numbers we needed. There are a lot of tournaments where we can compete at the highest level, and we certainly have the golf for it. The Sunshine Tour should host a tournament here.”
South African golfer Judd Sundelson echoed these sentiments, reflecting on his individual performance:
“The round was good and solid; I shot under 3. The wind was gusting, but today, my short game kept it together. I love the course. Michael [Palmer] played well, the players from Zambia were great and our manager is fantastic. We have a lot of golf courses and so many tournaments back home that produce a lot of good players.”
Hosting the tournament provided a unique challenge for the local side. Eswatini finished in 5th position with a total score of 52. The team carded 19 in Round 1, improved to 15 in Round 2 and maintained a steady 15 in the final round, with a 3 during the BB session.
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South Africa were winners of the Region V Championships which were held at Ezulwini Golf and Country Club. (Pics: Sanele Jele)