Uganda started strongly at the Africa Zone IV golf championships that got underway yesterday at the Lilongwe golf club in Malawi when they ended their round of singles games with 5 points out of eight games to lie second in this prestigious team tournament.
Uganda started off its quest to dethrone South Africa by winning five out of eight singles games and will today seek to consolidate their second position when they play the foursomes. Team Uganda’s skipper Phillip Kasozi set the tone for his compatriots when he beat Mauritius’s
Ravin Chunivan 4-3,but his team-mate Patrick Mugisha could not keep the momentum when he fell 4-6 to Kenya’s Joseph Karanja.
Kenya’s Uganda’s biggest rivals in the East African region are fourth with 4.5 points going into today’s action. Mehta Open winner Willy Kitata then gave his nation their second victory beating Franciso Nhampossa of Mozambique 4-3 in a close contest. John Saidi from Tanzania beat Abbey Bagalana 4-3 while Adolf Muhumuza beat Zambia’s Charles Butt 5-3.
This year’s edition has attracted ten African nations with South Africa leading the way with eight wins out of eight singles games. Zimbabwe lies third with five points and Nambia completes the top five with 4.5 points and lies fifth in this closely contest tournament.
Uganda’s Ronald Rugumayo lost to Zimbabwe’s Brett Krog 2-3 his team-mate Ronald Otile beat Nambia’s Stefanus Bonafatuis one up on the last hole and Gideon Kagyenzi beat Malawi’s Wilson Kainigwe one up on hole 18 infront of the cheering home crowd.
Teams standings
1. South Africa. 8 pts
2. Uganda. 5 pts
2. Zimbabwe. 5 pts
4. Kenya. 4.5 pts
4. Namibia. 4.5 pts
4. Tanzania. 4.5 pts
7. Malawi. 3 pts
7. Zambia. 3 pts
9. Mozambique. 2 pts
10. Mauritius. 0.5 pts