Kamphulusa, Mbanda shine in One NICO golf tourney at Nchalo Club

Ladies champion, Bose Kamphulusa

* The tournament was organised to share luxury opportunities with NICO’s partners and stakeholders

* As well as partnering with Illovo Sugar Malawi Plc, who are one of their biggest clients

* As NICO, we believe in engaging with our customers, and partners in both in formal set ups and also outside the office — Mandala

Victor Singano Jnr, Correspondent

Blantyre-based female golfer, Bose Kamphulusa and Lilongwe-based Sakurayi Mbanda emerged winners in ladies and men’s golfers categories in this year’s One NICO tournament played at Nchalo Golf Club in Chikwawa after showcasing outstanding performance out of the 72 golfers that competed.

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The two managed to overcome renown and seasoned ladies and men’s golfers such as Kamphulusa scored 35 points while Mbanda had 38 points. They both went away with K300,000 shopping vouchers each.

In her winner’s speech, Kamphulusa she stayed focused and patient as one of her major strengths that helped her to become the winner, saying the competition was not as a simple as one expected it to be as it involved experienced golfers.

On his part, Mbanda said the competition was exciting and felt invigorated throughout, thus he come to be the champion despite playing for just the second time on the Nchalo golf course.

Men’s champ Mbanda

He described the course as challenging, and that he was not quite familiar with it compared to Blantyre golfers, who usually play on the magnificent field and he hinted on patronising it frequently work so that he should defend the title in the future.

In his speech, NICO Group Chief Executive Officer, Donbell Mandala said they decided to organize the golf tournament to share luxury opportunities with their partners and stakeholders as well as partnering with Illovo Sugar Malawi Plc, who are one of their biggest clients.

He also said this gives the executives who play the game to sharing some ideas after spending two years (2020-2021) without organizing golf tournament due to the CoVID-19 pandemic.

CoVID-19 vaccine alert

“As NICO, we believe in engaging with our customers, and partners in both in formal set ups and also outside the office,” Mandala said, himself an accomplished golfer.

“Golf is one of the informal set ups we believe in and it gives us an opportunity to interact with our 72 stakeholders partners whom we invited in relaxed setting and away from our daily office challenges.

“Today, we are very much impressed because we have managed to achieve all that as we have also witnessed a stiff golf competition.”

Nchalo Golf Club golf captain, John Mphande applauded NICO Group for considering sponsoring the golf tournament at their course, which he said was the second golf competition to be hosted this year after failing to host any for quite along period due to CoVID-19.

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Mphande also described the tournament as successful having produced men’s runner-up, ladies with the longest drive which was a fair performance considering that they haven’t been active for some time.

“To us, we’ve done well and going forward people should expect a tremendous improvement because we are having a line up of golf activities,” he said.

Runner-up in the men’s category with 35 points, Alick Mzumara, recieved K200,000 shopping voucher while Chimwemwe Chimwaza got K100,000 shopping voucher for finishing as second runner-up with 34 points.

In the ladies category, Ulemu Luhanga was the runner-up with 31 points and went home with K200,000 shopping voucher.

NICO Group MD in action

In other categories, Cathie Matira and Willet Karonga scored the nearest to the pin for the ladies and men’s respectively (K100,000 shopping voucher each); longest drive to Nabel Gaffar (men)

Faith Samati (ladies) — both winning K100,000 shopping voucher each

Senior citizen category went to Sangwani Hara at 34 points; Nchalo Close to Nestor Msowoya at 35 points (both receiving K200,000 shopping voucher). There was also a special price for NICO Group that went to Donbell Mandala at K200,000 shopping voucher.

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