Gondwe shines in Standard Bank golf
Gift Chidya Gondwe recovered from a sloppy start to win the Standard Bank Golf Tournament at Blantyre Sports Club (BSC) on Saturday.
The day-long tournament was held under the auspices of Business Online (BOL), a market-leading online banking service offered by the bank.
Playing off course handicap (h/c) nine, Gondwe had a shoddy tee-off on the first hole with a double bogey, translating to two over par, but picked himself in the following five holes in which he had a birdie and four pars.
He had a decent score of 68 to count out Mahommed Jussab (h/c15) to second position while George Chirwa (h/c18) was third with a 71 nett score.
Gondwe, who got a trophy and a K100 000 shopping voucher as prizes, said he was excited to win a tournament after two years.
“The last time I won a tournament was in 2017, so yes, I am over the moon. I thank my cuddy for his good tips as well as my playing partners. Many thanks to Standard Bank and hopefully they will be back with another tournament,” he said.
The second and third-placed went away with K75 000 and K50 000 shopping vouchers and trophies, respectively.
To put an icing on thecake, Gondwe also had the longest drive on hole 17 while Mohammad Bhana was nearest to the pin on home12.
Mokera Malange, Eric Kazembe, Henry Finch, BSC board chairperson Lester Tandwe, captain Keta Mulwafu, James Chimwaza and Kingsley Chimdima Mhango had two clubs.
Standard Bank head of sales in global markets division Grey Kazima said the financial institution values the relationship it has cultivated with the golfing community over the years.
“By doing so, we find a better way of engaging our customer base, of which a good number are golfers.
“We are excited that BOL has channelled us all to this beautiful golf course to showcase our skills and interact in a more recreational and informal space,” he said.
Kazima said through the tournament, they wanted to impress the notion that “our world-class services and products are a point at which golf and business can always find common value”.
He said: “From what we have seen today, there is a common ground between golf as a sport and BOL as a banking platform.”
Mulwafu thanked Standard Bank for hosting the tournament.
