By Godfrey Koti
THE morning cold and breezy mist was still clearing off the iconic Table Mountain when the first tee shots echoed across the parkland terrain of King David Mowbray Golf Club.
As the fog rolled off the Atlantic beneath the towering shadow of Devil’s Peak, Round One of the Bard Santner Coastal Classic got underway at around 9:20am on September 14.
Set beneath Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak, the century-old parkland course provided a fair but challenging test for golfers of different levels.
The Bard Santner Coastal Classic 2026, held from September 14 to 18, was an invitation-only tournament that brought together regional corporate leaders and elite golf talent under the banner of Zimbabwean financial advisory firm Bard Santner.
The company specialises in corporate finance, asset management, wealth management, treasury bills and remittances.
Beyond the competition, the four-day tournament served as a networking platform, combining corporate engagement with the natural beauty of Cape Town while promoting regional collaboration and the growth of African golf.
From King David Mowbray, the action moved to De Zalze Golf Club for Round Two on September 15.
Designed by Peter Matkovich in the Stellenbosch valley, De Zalze winds around the Blaauwklippen River and offers sweeping views of vineyards and surrounding mountain ranges.
Round Three was played at Clovelly Golf Club on September 17. The tight par-72 course on the Cape Peninsula features elevated greens, sharp doglegs and views over the Silvermine River, supported by a caddie team with extensive local knowledge.
The fourth and final round was held at Rondebosch Golf Club, a Bob Grimsdell parkland design stretching over 6,000 metres, with tree-lined fairways, more than 40 bunkers and two rivers.
The opening round set the tone for what became a strategic and closely fought tournament.
Golfers from Zimbabwean business circles exchanged handshakes at the first tee before embarking on a competition designed to test every aspect of their game.
For regional executives, seasoned amateurs and rising stars, this was more than an ordinary round of golf.
It represented the culmination of a regional vision driven by Bard Santner to promote unity and build corporate relationships through the sport.
With the Cape Town skyline providing a striking backdrop, the Monday-to-Friday tournament reached its climax on September 18.
It was not only individual talent and skill that stood out at the Coastal Classic, but also a celebration of African sportsmanship, backed by a sponsor seeking to nurture young talent and expand the footprint of African golf.
In the closely contested final, former banker Webster Rusere held his nerve to edge Timothy Kambarami by just two points and claim the inaugural Bard Santner Coastal Classic title after four rounds.
Rusere finished on 134 points, with Kambarami on 132 in a tournament that remained finely poised until the final round.
Rusere’s campaign was built on a strong start and consistent accumulation of points throughout the week.
He recorded 38 points at King David Mowbray, 36 at De Zalze, 35 at Clovelly and 25 at Rondebosch to finish at the top of the standings.
Kambarami finished two points behind, while Fungai Fundira and Jeremiah Chatindo shared third place on 126 points. Alex Masere was fifth on 121 points.
Tournament convener Tendayi Gwatiringa said the tight finish reflected the quality of the field.
“The quality of golf made this an exceptionally tight competition. With just two points separating Webster and Timothy at the top, it went down to the final round. That is exactly the competitive spirit we wanted to create,” Gwatiringa said.
After his narrow victory, Rusere said he was privileged to have been invited to participate and grateful that his game had peaked at the right moment.
He also said winning the prize of a trip to watch the DP World Tour-sanctioned AfrAsia Bank Open in Mauritius was a dream that had yet to sink in.
Rusere paid tribute to Bard Santner, saying the company had set a new benchmark and redefined excellence.
His victory also came with an opportunity to attend the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in December, giving the Coastal Classic champion the chance to experience professional golf on an international stage.
AfrAsia Bank was represented at the tournament’s prize-giving ceremony and subsequent dinner by Yamini Doyekee.
Speaking at the dinner, Bard Santner chief executive Senziwani Sikhosana said the tournament represented the next chapter of a tradition that began a year earlier when the group hosted monthly golf tournaments under the Bard Santner Race to SA Challenge.
The winner of that series received an all-expenses-paid trip to the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa.
Sikhosana said what initially started as a corporate initiative to build the Bard Santner brand had developed into something more meaningful, with the tournaments creating a business community around golf.
He said the company discovered that the events were not simply about marketing and branding, but had created opportunities for relationships and business.
“This was community. And out of that community came business. Real business,” Sikhosana said.
He said the tradition would continue, with the winner of the Coastal Classic travelling to the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in December.
Sikhosana also spoke about the role of golf in shaping business values, particularly integrity and accountability.
“Golf is the only game where you are expected to call a penalty on yourself when nobody saw it,” he said, drawing a parallel between the sport and the responsibility of financial services companies handling clients’ money, savings, pensions and remittances.
He said the integrity expected on the golf course should also be reflected in every business transaction.
Sikhosana also reflected on his banking career, which began in the late 1990s at NMB Bank in Harare, and cited former managing director Julius Makoni as a role model.
He spoke about the establishment of National Merchant Bank in 1992 by Makoni and his colleagues, describing the institution as the first wholly Zimbabwean merchant bank.
Sikhosana said the experience taught him the importance of professionalism and maintaining high standards in indigenous institutions.
He later outlined Bard Santner’s core business, which comprises seven divisions: treasury, lending, remittances, corporate finance, advisory, asset management and wealth management.
He said the divisions operate as one institution with a common objective of reducing friction in clients’ financial transactions.
According to Sikhosana, treasury addresses currency challenges, remittances facilitate financial corridors, lending addresses working-capital gaps, while corporate finance and advisory focus on structuring.
Asset management and wealth management, he said, address the question of where money is invested once it has been earned.
“Seven divisions, one job,” Sikhosana said.