Mogomotsi Moloi
4 April 2008
Gaborone — A four-member golf team leaves the country on Sunday for the Africa World Junior Championship qualifiers in Mbabane, Swaziland.
The tournament starts on Monday and runs for three days and winners book a ticket to the World Junior Championships in Japan at the end of the year. The Botswana team consists of the newly crowned Botswana Amateur Open champion Steward Smith, Russell Withey, Treeman Granger and 11-year-old Lee Roy Peerman - the winner of the Botswana Open B division last weekend.
Team manager and acting executive secretary of Botswana Golf Union (BGU) Joseph Marudu is convinced that the juniors will do well in Swaziland. He said Botswana finished second last in the 10-nation tournament last year but this time round, there is hope for improvements. He did not want to promise the nation wonders but simply said the players will do better. "I would be a happy man if we could get at least position five," he said. He expressed confidence in the players saying they have gone through vigorous training with South African expert Michael Balderstone.
Balderstone is head of the School of Excellence in South Africa. He is engaged by BGU to drill national teams. "We have done the necessary training and from today (Thursday) we are going into camp and make final touches before we leave on Sunday," Marudu told Mmegi Sport about the junior side. He tips 17-year-old Smith to make a mark in Swaziland. The youngster has started a three-year golf programme at the South African School of Excellence. Marudu said that though Smith would be making a debut at such a high profile tournament, the boy has confidence and would definitely inspire his teammates. Withey is making his third appearance at the Africa World Junior qualifiers though he is yet to sail through to the next stage of the tournament.
BGU president Derrick Musa accompanies Marudu when they lead the youngsters to Swaziland. The tournament starts with 18 holes on Monday, 36 the next day and 18 on the last day.
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