Nande rebounds to win Oranjemund Open

Golf
Mariud Ngula
  • 3 Hours Ago
Oshakati Golf Club’s Likius Nande was last weekend crowned champion of the Nashua Oranjemund Open, an impressive win that saw him secure a gross score of 224.

Held at Oranjemund Golf Club, the tournament featured 50 players across four divisions, including visitors from as far as Oshakati, Omeya Golf Club, Windhoek Golf Club and South Africa’s Black Mountain and Springbok golf clubs.

Nande’s victory came after a thrilling final stretch that set him apart in the 54-hole stroke play event, securing him a winning score in the decisive round.

Reflecting on his achievement, Nande agreed that the final nine holes were especially intense.

“I was one shot behind the runner-up with six holes to play, but birdying the 13th and 15th holes turned things around for me. My last six holes decided everything,” he recalled.



‘Major confidence boost’

He said the victory served as a major confidence boost as he heads into three remaining tournaments of the year: the Gold Cup at Windhoek Golf Club this weekend, Botswana’s Festive Championship from 22 to 24 November and the Rossmund Open on 7 and 8 December.

“I got a second-place finish about three weeks ago at the Ongos Valley Windhoek Open (won by Fillip Sakota of Johannesburg), which was a little disappointing,” he admitted.

“I needed this win to get back into the zone, and I’m happy I got it. The competition was tough, and you enjoy it more when the win comes hard. At Oranjemund, anything can happen,” he remarked.

Speaking about how Nande clinched the victory, event organiser Divvie de Wit said: “He led by a single stroke over clubmate Edwin Kutara after 36 holes, then managed an impressive three-under-par in the final round to secure a four-stroke lead, ultimately taking the overall title.”



Other winners

The competition was fierce across most divisions, with Oshakati’s Kutara crowned overall runner-up after he posted a gross score of 227. Albie du Plessis from Oranjemund claimed the best nett score of 212, eight ahead of clubmate Louis Jaarman as runner-up on 220.

Meanwhile, more individual talent was on display from both local and visiting players, with South Africa’s Elvin Farmer of Black Mountain Golf Club taking the A Division’s best gross (235).

Oranjemund’s Theo Kafita secured the B Division’s best gross at 265, while South Africa’s D. Stuurman from Springbok Golf Club dominated the C Division at 274.

In the D Division’s stableford format, Quintin Hanstein from Oranjemund led with 61 points.



Keeping it a NAGU event

De Wit said the event was hosted under the Namibia Amateur Golf Union (NAGU) banner for the first time, making it a points-contributing event toward the Namibian order of merit.

“The event has been backed by Nashua since 2000 and next year will be a significant milestone marking the 25th anniversary of the sponsorship,” he said.

Underscoring a commitment to keeping the Nashua Oranjemund Open part of the NAGU circuit in the future, he said: “We will definitely keep this competition as a NAGU event, as it will attract more players from Namibia going forward.”

He added: “This year, we had three women competitors – Oranjemund’s Paulina Nehoya and Yolanda Pienaar, and Omeya’s Lydia Lumley, as well as one junior, Black Mountain’s Heinrich Basson.

“We encourage women and junior golfers to participate as it’s important for growing the sport in the country, so we lowered the entry fees for these groups.”

– mariud@nsh.com.na