International ladies golf tourney tees off today

Four countries will take part in the four-day East and Central Africa Golf Challenge which tees-off today at Lilongwe Golf Club (LGC).

Speaking during the event’s opening ceremony held at LGC yesterday, Ladies Golf Union of Malawi (LGUoM) president Wilma Chalulu said Uganda, Zambia, Kenya and hosts Malawi are the countries that will take part in the tournament.

Chalulu said this is the first time for the country to host a tournament of such magnitude.

“We are grateful to the countries that have brought their teams here. It’s going to be a memorable event,” she said.

Chalulu thanked government and various companies for financial support towards hosting the event.
Malawi has been taking part in the challenge since its inception in 2009, but it has always performed been poorly.
Coach Dingaan Chirwa said the challenge is that the country has no deliberate youth programme for ladies golf.
“Just imagine, we only had six players from where to select our best team out of all the golf clubs in the country. But despite the quality from our opponents, we will fight all the way,” said Chirwa.

He said the four selected players led by captain Roza Mbilizi, have been working hard in training and that gives hope for better performance.
East and Central Region Golf representative Moona Mwila said the success of the tournament is through participation.
“Golf is not only about winning but also interaction. We are appreciative to Malawi for hosting the event. May the best team win,” said Mwila.
She said 10 teams were supposed to come and take part, but six failed due to financial challenges..
Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) board chairperson James Chuma also thanked the participating countries for honouring the event.