Herman Loubser and Sunshine Tour veteran Hennie Otto finished Thursday’s first round of the Mopani Zambia Open in a share of the lead following their rounds of five-under-par 67 at the Nkana Golf Club.
They are one stroke clear of Sweden’s Fredrik From and defending champion MJ Viljoen from South Africa.
Loubser, who started his round on the back nine and had to work for a few pars early on, claimed the early clubhouse lead with a solid round including three birdies and an eagle.
“I started off a little bit shaky but made good up-and-downs for par that kept the momentum going. My course management was good today. At the par-five second hole I holed it out of the bunker with my third shot for eagle, which I haven’t done in a while,” said Loubser, who wasn’t even born yet when his fellow leader Otto finished second in this tournament in 1998.
“The nice things about these tournaments are that all the guys stay in the same spot, so it’s always very social. The people here are so friendly. I love this place. Africa in general is just a fun experience,” Loubser said.
The young Sunshine Tour professional was delighted with his start and hopes to continue with this momentum.
“It’s quite a weird position to be in. Usually I try to shoot a low round to make the cut, but it’s nice to put myself in a good position.”
🗣️ Catch up with leader in the clubhouse Herman Loubser after an opening round of 67 (-5) 📊#MopaniZambiaOpen #GreatnessBeginsHere #SunshineTour pic.twitter.com/j54WHkYBfc
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) June 5, 2025
SCORES
67 - Herman Loubser 67, Hennie Otto 67
68 - Fredrik From 68, MJ Viljoen 68
69 - Jacques P de Villiers 69, Tomas Gana 69, Franklin Manchest 69, Warwick Purchase 69
70 - Aaron Simfukwe Jnr 70, Luke Jerling 70, Quintin Wilsnach 70, JJ Senekal 70
71 - Simon du Plooy 71, Matthew Spacey 71, Paul Boshoff 71, Louis Albertse 71, Stuart Krog 71, Lyle Rowe 71, Ethan Smith 71, Pierre Viallaneix 71
72 - Jordan Duminy 72, Luca Filippi 72, Dayne Moore 72, Austin Bautista 72, Rowan Lester 72, Stals Swart 72, Rourke van der Spuy 72, Samuel Simpson 72, Neil Schietekat 72, Wynand Dingle 72, Heinrich Bruiners 72, Christiaan Burke 72, Kyle McClatchie 72, Kyle De Beer 72, Keegan Mclachlan 72, Benjamin Van Wyk 72
73 - Hunter Epson 73, Jason Roets 73, Jordan Burnand 73, James Mack 73, Martin Vorster 73, Jacques Blaauw 73, Stephen Ferreira 73, Carter Rowe 73, Ryan van der Klis 73, Marcel Steyn Scholtz 73, Ruan Conradie 73, Graham van der Merwe 73, Jack Hawksby 73, Pierre Pellegrin 73, Sydney Joseph Wemba 73
74 - Joe Knox 74, Ricky Hendler 74, Daniel Cronje 74, Thomas Spreadborough 74, Xander Basson 74, Trevor Fisher Jnr 74, Ruan Korb 74, Martin Rohwer 74, Wallie Coetsee 74, Luke Brown 74, Stefan Wears-Taylor 74, Keegan Shutt 74, Keagan Thomas 74, Tristen Strydom 74, Jake Redman 74
75 - Gabriel Chibale 75, Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa 75, Gerhard Pepler 75, Adrian Andrade 75, Christian Kriek 75, Liam Grehan 75, Danie Van Niekerk 75, Daniel van Tonder 75, Dylan Mostert 75, Rupert Kaminski 75, Francois van Staden 75, Johan Theron 75, Otto Van Buynder 75
76 - Robert Mofya 76, Michael Chuma 76, Hayden Griffiths 76, CJ du Plessis 76, Altin van der Merwe 76, Simon Lumbwe 76, Jaco Prinsloo 76, Robson Chinhoi 76, Morton Muwowo 76
77 - Dezzie Ngandu 77, Tyron Davidowitz 77, Nyasha Muyambo 77, Stalion Daka 77, Thabang Simon 77, Dominic Musonda 77, Albert Venter 77, Kelly Tembo 77
78 - Conner Mackenzie 78, Patrick Mwendapole Snr 78, Jacquin Hess 78, Madalitso Muthiya 78, Hennie O'Kennedy 78, Marcus Sandile Taylor 78, Christopher Long 78, Keanu Pestana 78, Tyran Snyders 78
79 - Tatenda Makunde 79, Boyd Kapalamoto 79, Innocent Chalwe 79, Rhys West 79
80 - Werner Deyzel 80, Promise Sombreiro 80, Joe Nawanga 80, Raphael Phiri 80, Toto Thimba Jnr 80
81 - Teleka Chundama 81, Kyle Barker 81, Kelvin Wemba 81
82 - Conrad Makoto 82, Zachary Chegwidden 82, Gilbert Chalwe 82
83 - Ntengwa Mukosa 83, Paul Adam Chidale 83
86 - Tanaka Chatora 86
88 - Aaron Musonda 88
89 - Joseph Malembe 89
90 - Musambo Kapoma JNR 90
93 - Thomo Mokgatle 93