Nande makes it five

Rudi Bowe

Likius Nande made it five times in a row at the 2019 Swakopmund Open Championship held under the auspices of new sponsor Standard Bank Namibia this past Saturday at the Rossmund Golf Course.

A total of 58 players including three Namibian Pros from clubs throughout Namibia entered the mix and took to the fairways to contest in over 54 holes. The golf course was in excellent condition especially the greens that were running fast where the three and four putts were the buzz in the clubhouse.
Denis Haimbondi shot the lowest scores 74 gross in round 1 followed by Defending Champion Likius Nande and Kevin Wentzel on 77 gross just 3 behind. In round 2 Kasoma Paulino came into the mix with the best round of the day 70 gross with a two under par, followed by Kevin Wentzel on 75 gross and Denis Haimbondi on 76 gross.
In the “B” Division Tienie De Wet shot rounds of 78 and 84 gross to put him 4 shots ahead of the field at the close of day one whilst Athol McLean was making his mark in the “C” Division although scores were close with day two left everything to play for.
Stanley Gawanab managed to produce an excellent 75 gross whilst Likius Nande out played his playing partners shooting an 80 gross to give him the championship by 1 shot over Kevin Wentzel.
At the prize giving Coastal Area Manager of Standard Bank Namibia Ronnie Einbeck thanked all the players for taking part in the tournament and confirmed that without a doubt they will be around in the years to come as he announced the Banks four-year sponsorship for the Swakopmund Open championship.
Chairman of Rossmund Golf Club and President of NAGU Marco Swarts thanked the sponsor for their commitment to sport in Namibia, all the staff of the Rossmund Golf Course for the preparation of the course and service throughout the day.
Swarts also thanked his Tournament Committee for ensuring that the tournament ran smoothly and was conducted in accordance with the Rules of Golf.
He also expressed his extreme thanks and gratitude to Bill Birch for all his work with NAGU, the Golf Federation and Namibian Golf throughout the years – as he hands over his NAGU portfolio to Corneels Jaftha.
Coastal Area Manager of Standard Bank Namibia Ronnie Einbeck handed over the winning prices to the winner and runner-ups.
Overall Winners:
Winner Gross: L Nande 235, Runner-up Gross: K Wentzel 236.
Winner Nett: H Ndjendja 222, Runner-up Net: T De Wet 224.
“A” Division Winners:
Winner Gross: D Haimbondi 238, Runner-up Gross: K Paulino 240.
Winner Nett: S Gawanab 230, Runner-up Nett:T Hailonga 234.
“B” Division Winners:
Winner Gross: J Greeff 255, Runner-up Gross: C Lohman Jnr 267.
Winner Nett: D Benson 231, Runner-up Nett:C Haoseb 236.
“C” Division Winners:
Winner Gross: A Mc Lean 175, Runner-up Gross A Abrahams 182.
Winner Nett: B Saunderson 159, Runner-up Nett: G Byleveld 161.