The sixth edition and round one of the Nedbank for Good Series took place on Saturday at Omeya Golf Club, and saw 106 players tee off on the day.
It was one of the biggest fields in the history of events.
The launch of the series featured the Nedbank Ladies Central Open event, which took place simultaneously with the series.
The organisers of the Nedbank Ladies Central Open said the event’s success was beyond their expectations.
They saw a total of 26 senior ladies and six juniors participating in the tournament.
Newly-elected secretary of the Namibia Amateur Ladies Golf Union (NALGU) Tashia Kalondo said combining the two tournaments was a masterstroke.
It allowed the ladies to display their skills on a very competitive platform.
“Plaudits to Nedbank Namibia because without them, we would have only had the Coastal Open as a women’s competition for this year. We had a huge tournament, with six juniors playing well and competing amongst themselves, with their parents as caddies. It was good to see the new generation of female golfers in such a competitive environment,” she stated.
Kalondo said they are actively developing the game for the younger generation through planned workshops and training programmes to attract new talent.
She noted that the current average age of women golfers in Namibia is 40 years.
“We have to focus on the youngsters. Otherwise, we are going to struggle to have a new generation of competitive golfers,” she said.
Founder of DZ Golf Dan Zwiebel and organisers of the Good Series said this was the first time the series collaborated with another golfing event.
“This might be a platform that we might venture into. Perhaps we could include the NALGU in the Nedbank for Good Series, given that we are already visiting clubs. We need to nurture the future stars of the game. This is vitally important for us to see how we can nurture this talent,” he said.
He revealed that they have this year added three more venues, bringing the total to 13 – from 10 in 2024.
“We will have the northern, central, southern and coastal legs before the finals at Omeya. We have added Outjo, Okahandja and Grootfontein to this year’s calendar. We must always keep innovating because stagnation is a big fear for such a series,” he said.
All the winners
Douglas Holtzhausen won the men’s competition in round one of the series with 39 points, ahead of second-placed Dieter Schrywer, who was second with 38 points counted in.
Third place was taken by Braam Vermeulen on 38 points.
The women’s category in the series competition was won by Wilna Bredenhann on 43 points, with Kalondo in second on 42 points and Mariena Ludwig in third on 38 points.
Bredenhann was crowned the overall winner of both the Ladies Central Open and the Good Series with a gross score of 169, followed by Doulaine Holtzhausen on a gross score of 173 in second place.
The overall net was taken by Brenda Lens with a net score of 147 shots, with Evelyn Paulino emerging as runner-up with 153.
Other winners on the day include Mary-Ann Boltmann, with a gross score of 189 in the A Division Best Gross, with Anecia le Grange, on a net score of 166, winning best net.
Celonika Robinson won the B Division’s best gross with 188, while Ina Maier scored 157 and counted in for best bet.
The C Division was won by Kalondo with 73 points counted in, while Jolene van Schoor was second with 73 counted out.
Tiekie de Wet was in third place with 68 points.
Nedbank Namibia executive for Wealth Management and Bancassurance Biniam Ghirmatsion was ecstatic with the two days’ proceedings.
He said they are proud of how the ladies played.
He added that the successful hosting of the first-ever Central Ladies Open is a proud moment for Nedbank Namibia.
“We remain committed to championing the growth of women’s sports in the country, and creating more opportunities for female golfers. We encourage young women to take up this incredible sport. By supporting initiatives that bring people together, we’re building a legacy of goodwill that goes beyond banking,” he said.