Mwakhwawa wins Total Malawi golf title
operations manager Tedezghi Fessahaye
Lawyer John-Gift Mwakhwawa banished his swing demons on time to win the Total Malawi Invitational Golf Tournament at Nchalo Golf Club greens on Saturday.
A blank on the first hole was the handicap 12 golfer’s most frustrating experience in the 18-hole event, but a birdie he gorged on hole 17 turned his misfortunes into success as he completed the day with 39 points.
Lora Moran outsmarted nine contestants in the ladies’ section after amassing 33 points, a point ahead of her runner-up Teri Amaro.
The winners received fantastic prizes that included plasma TV screens.
Seventy-two golfers, including the men’s category runner-up John Suzi (38 points) and third-placed Smit Sibale (35 points), took part in the individual stableford formatted contest. But Mwakwawa seemed the happiest on the day as he won the 10-year-old annual contest for the first time.
“I had a beautiful round of golf today,” said Mwakhwawa. “Right from the start, I wanted to be composed with my drivers, but that blank on the first hole gave me a headache. In spite of that, a birdie on the 17th restored my buoyancy.”
Despite not being among the winners, Mohamed Yusuf Patel had a fair share of fun on the majestic course. He achieved a rare hole-in-one on the ninth hole. This was the 64-year-old’s second hole-in-one in his 16 years of playing golf. He got a similar feat in Harare, Zimbabwe a decade ago.
Total Malawi commercial manager Muwuso Kachali said they organised the contest to acknowledge the business relationship they have with Illovo Sugar Company and to inform their customers, including the golfers, about their products and services.
“We wanted to advise our customers that we are more than just an oil company, but a complete energy firm that also sells other products such as solar lanterns that can help people, especially in the rural areas, to do business past afternoon hours,” said Kachali.
