Scott Vincent, the Zimbabwean conquering Asia
There aren’t many golfers from Zimbabwe who ply their trade in this part of the world, but Vincent has made the best of it.
Published : Aug 08, 2018 20:37 IST
Scott Vincent took a leap of faith when he joined the Asian Tour, via the qualifying schools, in 2016. There aren’t many golfers from Zimbabwe who ply their trade in this part of the world, but Vincent has made the best of it. In his debut season, Vincent won the ‘Asian Tour Rookie of the Year’ award, and followed this up with four top-10 finishes in 2017. This year, he racked up six top-10 finishes, including taking second-place in the Bank BRI Indonesia Open last month. “A friend of mine, who played on the Asian Tour, asked me to come along and join. I had never considered joining the Asian Tour before he suggested it," Vincent, who will compete in the TAKE Solutions Masters here, stated.
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His journey began in Harare (Zimbabwe), when his dad – a social golfer – introduced him to the sport. He rose to become one of the best amateurs in the world under the tutelage of Roger Baylis - the head professional at Chapman Golf Club and national coach for Zimbabwe Golf Association (ZGA). “The junior programme in Zimbabwe was really good. My coach Roger poured hours and hours into my game,” Vincent said. His talent brought him a golf scholarship in Virginia Tech (U.S.A.). After graduating, Vincent competed on the Sunshine Tour (professional golf tour based in Southern Africa) and on the 'Web.com' Tour (developmental tour for PGA Tour), before making his move to Asia.
ALSO READ: US PGA Championship: Dustin Johnson the man to beat at Bellerive On Zimbabwe’s rich golf history, Vincent said, "Golf in Zimbabwe has produced great players like Nick Price, Mark McNulty, Brendon de Jonge and others. We have a lot of good courses, and very good junior programmes. I expect Zimbabwe to produce many more professional golfers in the near future,” Vincent said. Vincent is proud to count former World No. 1 and golf legend Nick Price as a friend. “Nick is very good to me. He keeps checking on me to see how I’m doing. I’ve gotten to know him well over the years," he said.