One of the country's top amateur golfers Elton Zulu is hoping his dominant eight-shot win at the 2025 Midlands Amateur Championship in Kwekwe on will spur him on to another solid season on the local circuit.
It is Zulu's first big win of the season after he bagged his first amateur tournament at MAWEGU last year.
In Kwekwe, Zulu shot rounds of 71, 69 and 75 to finish the tournament on 1 - under par 215.
"Winning always brings about that 'it' factor — it's a positive jolt, a push you need time and again. For me, it’s a sign that the work I’m putting in is paying off. I just need to keep at it, stay on track, and more wins will come," he told this publication.
"It’s an important one, especially for my WAGR ranking. I’m also in a space where I’m trying to play a bit less so I can focus more on the administrative side of golf. So winning under those circumstances is a great reminder that I’ve still got it. And if one day I walk away to sit behind the scenes, I know it’ll be on my own terms — and I can live with that," Zulu added.
Zulu, finished well ahead of Cosmas Siyakobo and Anderson Phiri, who both tied for second place on seven-over-par 223.
Siyakobo returned rounds of 77, 73 and 73, while Phiri registered scores of 75, 74 and 74 across the three rounds.
More impressive in Zulu's triumph was shooting an under-par score at Kwekwe Golf Club.
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"Doing it in Kwekwe makes it even more special. It’s a course where every tee shot matters — you need to leave yourself with a good look into the green. I think in the first two rounds I did a really good job of that, and the scores added up. The greens are some of the better ones outside Harare, so if you’re hitting full shots into them, you’ll get birdie chances. I had a lot of them, and I’m glad I took advantage," he said.
Zulu will go into the Hillside Masters, which tees off in Mutare tomorrow, in high spirits following his win in Kwekwe.
"I’ll just stick to my processes. Nothing fancy, nothing new — just play my shot shapes, trust my prep, and try to see more putts drop. If I do that, the numbers will add up and I’ll put myself in a good position. Hopefully, it’ll be good enough by Sunday," Zulu said.
