Story Links
July 3, 2001
Charlottesville, Va. – Lewis Chitengwa, 26, professional golfer, died Saturday, June 30 in Edmonton,Alberta, Canada. While competing in the Canadian Tour’s Edmonton Open hebecame ill after Friday’s second round of competition. He was admitted tothe Alberta University Hospital on Saturday and passed away that afternoon.
A 1998 graduate of the University of Virginia, Lewis’ golf accomplishmentswere known throughout the world. In 1993 he became the first black man towin the South Africa Men’s Amateur Championship. He was an instant hero toall who had suffered under apartheid in South Africa, and all who opposed theracist system. Lewis’ victory in South Africa was often referred to as the”African golfing equivalent of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s colorbarrier.”
Lewis was a native of Harare, Zimbabwe, and most recently was living inNashville, Tennessee. His extraordinary golf career began at an early ageunder the tutelage of his father, Lewis Sr., an accomplished golfprofessional from the Wingate Golf Club in Harare. By the time he reachedhis 18th birthday Lewis Jr. had competed on five different continents,representing Zimbabwe in both junior and men’s amateur events. He won theZimbabwe Men’s National Amateur Championship three times, in 1992, 1993, and1994, and in December, 1992, he won one of the world’s most prestigiousjunior tournaments, the Orange Bowl International in Coral Gables, Florida.
Lewis arrived in Charlottesville in the fall of 1993 where he lived withBobby and Ruth McIver and their family. He attended Piedmont CommunityCollege during the Fall 1993 semester, and enrolled at the University ofVirginia in the Fall, 1994. In his first year he was named to the AllAtlantic Coast Conference Golf Team and was also named ACC Rookie of theYear. In his four-year career with the Cavaliers, Lewis won twointercollegiate tournaments and recorded 17 top-10 finishes. He was twicenamed All-American, and his seventh place finish in the 1996 NCAAChampionship stands as the best finish by a Cavalier golfer since 1940. Inhis final year at the University, Lewis served as Captain of the Golf Team.
Lewis began his professional golf career in September, 1998. He competed inmore than 75 tournaments as a professional on a number of developmentaltours, and in 2000 he competed as a fully exempt player on the Buy.Com Tour.In 2001 Lewis was competing primarily on the Canadian Tour. During thewinter months each year, Lewis returned to Zimbabwe to compete on the SouthAfrican Tour, and to spend time with his family.
Like his amateur career, Lewis’ professional play was consistently strong,and he had a flair for dramatic shot-making. He was an aggressive andfocused competitor who would attempt to drive any par four within reach, andwho thrived on reaching par fives in two shots. His victory in the 1996 NCAALong Drive Contest came as no surprise to those who knew his penchant forsmashing tee shots. He possessed great imagination and creativity in allaspects of the game, and in the entirety of his professional career, spanningseveral hundred rounds, his scoring average remained under-par. While hisintense concentration was obvious, Lewis was known most by his kindness, hisrespectfulness, and his sense of humor. He was the consummate gentleman,both on and off the golf course, and he was loved and respected by all thosewho had the privilege to know him.
In addition to his skill and passion for golf, Lewis enjoyed all sports. Hewas a talented soccer player in his youth and most recently had become a fanof professional ice hockey. He enjoyed all types of music, from hip-hop tocountry, and was gifted in the study of languages. He was raised bi-lingual,fluent in both English and in his native Shona. Lewis also spoke French, andenjoyed studying Japanese, Spanish, Italian, and Swahili. He also played thepiano in his free time. He majored in African American Studies at Virginia.
A devout Christian, Lewis attended Bible study on a regular basis. While astudent at the University, he joined Trinity Presbyterian Church and wasbaptized in May, 1995. Lewis was born January 25, 1975. He is survived byhis parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Chitengwa, Sr. of Harare, two sisters, Helgaand Rhoda, two brothers, Elias and Farai, and hundreds of loving admirers andfriends. A scholarship in Lewis’ name has been established by the VirginiaStudent Aid Foundation. Contributions to the Lewis Chitengwa MemorialScholarship Fund can be sent to the Virginia Student Aid Foundation, P.O. Box400833, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22904. A memorial service will be held at4 p.m. on Monday, July 16, at Trinity Presbyterian Church , 3101 Fontaine Avenue Ext., Charlottesville.