Impressive Mapwanya wins Cote D’Ivoire Open
Zimbabwe’s Visitor Mapwanya poses with the title after winning the final leg of the Safari Tour at Muthaiga on February 15, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Mapwanya fired three under par 69, which gave him an all rounds total of 15 under par 273, five clear shots from the Nigerian Olapade who carded two under par 70 in the fourth round, for a total of 10 under par 278
- Kibugu, and Ghana’s Francis Torgah and Zambia’s Sydney Wemba tied for sixth place with six under par 282, just a shot adrift from Ghana’s Vincent Torgah
- eanwhile, the other Kenyans Justus Madoya levelled the par for a four rounds total of level par 288, a shot better than compatriot Edwin Mudanyi
On-form Zimbabwean Visitor Mapwanya beat Nigeria’s Sunday Olapade by five shots, to clinch the 23rd edition of the annual Cote D’Ivoire Open golf tournament, as Kenya’s Njoroge Kibugu tied in sixth place at the par 72 President Golf Club course in Yamoussoukro, Cote D’Ivoire on Friday.
Mapwanya fired three under par 69, which gave him an all rounds total of 15 under par 273, five clear shots from the Nigerian Olapade who carded two under par 70 in the fourth round, for a total of 10 under par 278, just a shot better than Robson Chinhoi from Zimbabwe and round one leader Ahoua Ahoua of France. The two tied for third place on nine under par 279.
The winner Mapwanya earned an equivalent of Sh1 million. A regular player in Kenya’s Safari Tour, Mapwanya ended the 2022/23 by winning the last leg of the Safari Tour at Muthaiga in a March, a victory that earned him a place in the 2023 Magical Kenya Open, a DP World Tour event where he did not make the cut.
Chinhoi shot two under par 70 in the final round while Ahoua Ahoua closed with three under par 69. Kibugu, and Ghana’s Francis Torgah and Zambia’s Sydney Wemba tied for sixth place with six under par 282, just a shot adrift from Ghana’s Vincent Torgah who fired two under par 70 to wind up the tournament with seven under par 281.
Kibugu carded level par 72 while Wemba posted four under par 68 to make his six under par 282, as Francis Torgah of Ghana wound up the tournament with a 75 having started well in the tournament’s first, second and third rounds.
Meanwhile, the other Kenyans Justus Madoya levelled the par for a four rounds total of level par 288, a shot better than compatriot Edwin Mudanyi who shot two over par for one over par 289 to tie for the 13th place with Emmanuel Osei of Ghana who carded level par 72.
On the other hand, Mutahi Kibugu shot three over par 75 which could only give him 11 over par 299 in 28th place.
Four Kenyans out of an entry of eight players had made cut in the event which had initially attracted a field of 63 players though only 30 were able to go through the five over par second round cut.
The final leaderboard;
Visitor Mapwanya (Zim) 69, 69, 66, 69= 273
Sunday Olapade (Nig) 69, 73, 66, 70= 278
Robson Chinhoi (Zim) 67, 74, 68, 70= 279
Ahoua Ahoua (Fr) 65, 71, 74, 69= 279
Vincent Torgah (Gha) 68, 72, 71, 70= 281
Sydney Wemba (Zam) 67, 75, 72, 68- 282
Njoroge Kibugu (Ken) 69, 70, 71, 72= 282
Francis Torgah (Gha) 70, 68, 69, 75= 282.
