Kenya: Local Pros Plot Assault On Uganda Open Tourney Title

Larry Ngala

5 July 2011

Nairobi — A strong team of 23 Kenyan professional golfers arrived in Kampala on Monday, ready for Wednesday’s first round of KCB Uganda Open golf tournament at the Uganda Golf Club.

Earlier, 24 players had enlisted for the Ugandan trip but veteran professional Elisha Kasuku withdrew at the last minute, saying his game was not good at the moment but would prepare for the grand finale at Nyali Golf and Country Club next month.

Among those in Uganda for the seventh leg in the KCB East Africa Golf Tour, the fourth regional event in the series, is Kenya’s popular professional Dismas Indiza from Mumias Golf Club.

Indiza leads series

Indiza is currently leading in the series with a total of 100.5 points, 10 better than Muthaiga’s Greg Snow though he has won only one event since the series started in February at Thika Sports Club.

He has, however, been consistent, making the top three in all the six events played so far.

He finished third at Thika, Muthaiga and Kisumu then won the KCB Tanzania Open at Arusha Gymkhana in May.

Thereafter, he finished second at both the KCB Rwanda Open in Kigali and the Corporate Banking Open at Nakuru early last month.

“I wanted to win here but made few bad shots which cost me the overall title, but there is still the Uganda Open before we head to Mombasa,” Indiza said then at Nakuru.

At last year’s Uganda Open, Indiza beat Uganda’s Deo Akope to narrowly claim the title.

This year, besides Akope and 13 other Ugandan pros, Indiza will be facing youngster Snow who won at his home course Muthaiga and at Kigali Golf Club in Rwanda.

Seeking top place

Snow has so far scored 90.5 points and would like to win the 20 points in the Sh1 million Uganda Open to jump to the top, though this will depend on how Indiza finishes.

Another player to watch in Uganda will be Thika Sports Club’s Simon Ngige, winner of three events already this year.

Ngige won at Thika, then posted his second victory at Nyanza Golf Club in Kisumu and after picking up only eight points in Rwanda, Ngige found his winning formula to take the top prize during the sixth leg at Nakuru.

He is, however, in third place with 88.3 points in the Order Of Merit because of the fact that the three events he won were all locals.

A winner in the regional events gets 20 points. Also chasing the title this week in Uganda will be Nakuru’s Richard Ainley, who finished fourth in Arusha, third in Kigali and joint-second at his home club.

Apparently, no entry from Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi had been received at press time, leaving hosts Uganda to battle it out with the Kenyans.

A win for Indiza this weekend will almost assure him of the Order Of Merit title, which carries a bonus of Sh200,000.

This year, KCB, which has been supporting the tour for the past five years, has invested Sh8.7 million in the Tour, with Sh3 million set aside for the grand finale from August 10 to 13 at Nyali.

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