Over the weekend at Chapman Golf Club, teenage golf prodigy Keegan Shutt finished on 8-under par 208, winning the Chapman Grand Slam of 2024. Shutt had fired a spectacular final round 66. Shutt had a five-stroke advantage over Patrick Chanda, a golfer from Zambia, who finished the two days’ competition with rounds of 72, 70, and 66. Chanda shot a 3-under par 213 for the event.
After shooting 70 and 71 in the opening 36 holes, Chanda had a one-shot lead over Shutt heading into the final round. However, the Zimbabwean was unable to catch up to Chanda on the last day, as he only managed level par. Shutt had only won twice already this year, the first being the Royal Harare club championship in May.
“I am overjoyed since I have always wished to win this competition since I was a small child. After winning, he remarked, “I am really thrilled because there have been a lot of people who have won it, including very excellent players like Sean Crocker who is currently on the PGA Tour, David Amm, and Scott Vincent. The competition was won by Amm last year, who has since gone professional.
For the first time this year, women were able to play for the championship thanks to the Grand Slam. Margaret Nyamukondiwa, a US-based golfer, tied for third place with a final score of six over par after shooting 222. Her opponent was 16-year-old Braydon Amm of Mutare. Nyamukondiwa shot 72 78 and 72, while Amm, who will represent the nation at the British Junior Open the following week, shot 74 77 and 71.
Leading women golfer Kelvin Muchenje finished first with a gross total of 225, three strokes ahead of sixth-place finisher Miriam Masiya (228), while Danielle Bekker, another American woman, tied for seventh with 229 gross. The event was attended by 74 players in all. Stephen Dzikiti, who organized the competition, was pleased with the outcome.
We are glad that everything went smoothly and that there were no noteworthy incidents. For our golf, we had 74 players, which is a terrific amount, and the young men and women who participated performed admirably. “It used to be a men only event and this year we thought of bringing the ladies who would also compete with their male counterparts,” he explained.