North Carolina’s Eric Huruko, the sole player from his state, was the man to beat on day one of Murambatsvina Golf Classic tournament, held at Paiute Golf Resort in Las Vegas.
Huruko ended the day with a 2 under-par score, besting Yacinthe Dorsainvil and Tracy Beblie, who tied at 1 under par score each.
The top contenders are on track for the top prize, a $1,350 cash payout. The second and third place contenders stand to win $810 and $540 respectively.
Kyle Lester from Seattle was fourth, posting a 1 over-par score, and Sammy Metobo, completed the top 5 list scoring 4-over par.
Players played enjoyed the lash greenery of Piute Golf Resort Snow Mountain course, nestled about 30 minutes from the busy Las Vegas strip, in a paradisiac landscape backdrop of Snow Mountain, and manicured course coupled with multiple spectacularly blue water ponds.
On top of the therapeutic beauty of the golf course, day one came in packaged with perfect weather, sunny but not too warm; the temperature stayed around 80 degrees at the max.
Players who had a tough day can take consolation of the pleasant experience at the course.
In the end, the players received first-class service when the resort allowed them to leave their golf bags loaded on the carts, reducing their load for day two contest. Word is the resort will clean the clubs as well. If true, this would count as one of the best customer services by a golf resort. We’ll find out Saturday.
Now all they have to bring is their A-Game.
The first tee-off is scheduled for 9.41 am, Douter Kasago said in a Whatsapp message.
The event is hosted by All African Golf League from Southern California.
DAY ONE HIGHLIGHTS IN PHOTOS
Note: To order high resolution photos, please WhatsApp Maurice at 559-970-8601
PRE-TOURNAMENT REPORT
It’s go time for the 16th annual Murambatsvina Golf Classic in Las Vegas, Nv.
The tournament, organized by All Africa Golf League (AAGL) one of the last this year, kicks off at Paiute Golf Resort Snow Mountain Course Nov 5. The first tee-off is scheduled for 8.41 am, Douter Kasago, an AAGL executive committee member a key organizer of the event said.
The rules are simple, stroke play, where the player with the lowest score wins.
According to the tournament’s website, groupings will be random on the first day, but on day 2, tee times will be based on day one performance. Players with the highest Day 1 score will have earned the right to tee off first.
Players need to bring their A-game because this is Vegas; there’s money to be won. The top player takes home 50 percent of the total cash raised in registration fees.
The winner stands to earn a good payday, considering forty players registered for the tournament, including 4 women.
Men and women players will play together in the tournament.
Playing your best game might come in handy in case of a tie. To break a tie, Pars, Birdies, and Eagles will be weighted. Par will be worth a 1 point, Birdie 1.5 points, and Eagle 3 points.
Bogeys will hurt in case a tie could not be broken by looking at stellar performance. In such a case, the player with more double bogeys will lose.
While unlikely, the tournament has prepared rules for up to 3 tie-breakers enumerated on the AAGL website.
Players can also participate in optional skin games, competitions where players compete for prizes per hole or as determined by rules agreed upon in advance.
Such competitions are known as skin games because back in the day, players competed for money contained in a bag made of animal skin, probably cattle, according to Golf Monthly.
Players will enjoy playing at the beautiful snow course at Pauite Resort, with well-manicured greens and fairways.
The course boasts 7 holes with water to make it fun for players with precise aims. By the end of the first 4 holes, players would have tasted how it feels to play in Paiute.
To start things off, players dive right in with a par-4 tee-off in hole 1 and hole 2. Hole 3 is a par 5, followed by par 3 in hole 4.
Players trying the course for the first time can get a virtual tour on the Paiute Resort website that displays the course layout and tips on playing them.
Hole 1 Tip:
The opening tee shot provides plenty of bailout area to the right, but a bail placed down the left side will have a better angle for your approach. Don’t go long on this green,” says the tip, accompanied by an animated video display of the hole.
The tips are available for every hole. But as much as the tips night help, only skills on how players hit and manipulate the golf ball will make the difference.
Men will tee off the yellow tees, and women the red tees, Kasago said.
The tournament brings together players from diverse backgrounds and skills; this year, it has attracted players from all over the country, including North Carolina, Seattle, Wa., and California.
It’s show time for the players, and for Kasago and other AAGL executive committee members, Tony Sherwood and Tonderai Kajese, this is another opportunity for them to host a quality event in one of the most iconic cities in the world.
Good luck out there.
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