Golfer Otile is USPA sports personality of 2015
Apr 30, 2016
“Winning this award is not an easy thing and I’m so happy for it," says the 20-year-old golfer.
Golfer Ronald Otile is the Nile Special-Uganda Sports Press Association Sports personality of the Year 2015.
The 20-year-old Toro Club and national team player was crowned at the annual Nile Special-USPA Awards Gala held at Serena Hotel Friday night.
Otile, who beat body builder Ivan Byekwaso and netballer Rachael Nanyonga to the top award, becomes the first golfer to win it since its inception in 1974.
Otile capped a historic year by winning the amateur and professional categories of the five-in-one Uganda Open, and was also part of the Ugandan team that for the first time won the Zone VI golf tournament at Kitante in Kampala.
He also finished second behind South Africa's Aubrey Beckley at the All Africa Golf Team Championships at the 72 par-Limuru Country Club.
Otile returned one-over-par 73, for an aggregate of 290 over the four rounds to finish second behind the South African who returned the same score on the final day, but had carded better scores in the previous rounds.
"Winning this award is not an easy thing and I'm so happy for it. I feel it will inspire me to perform even better in the future. I will have to work hard to ensure I win it again," Otile said after he was crowned by state minister for sports Charles Bakkabulindi.
Byekwaso was on the shortlist for the top award for having won the Mr. Universe and the AM Body Building World Cup in San Diego in the US and finished 5th at the Mr. Olympia held in Las Vegas last year while on her part, netballer Rachael Nanyonga was superb for Uganda at the World Cup in Sydney.
The goal attacker scored 138 goals in the eight matches she played for the country in addition to 40 assists. Her club NIC Netball club also finished as runner up position in the national league.
Former national cricketer Sam Walusimbi, who was honoured with the Legendary Award, was also grateful for having been honoured while still alive.
"I'm very proud to have been honoured with this award. I'm very grateful to all those people who have given a lot to develop sports in this country.
"I have been involved in sports for a long time as a prefect, NCS [National Council of Sports] chairman and represented the country in cricket; and I'm particularly proud that Nile Breweries, where my father worked for over 20 years, is sponsoring this award," said Walusimbi.
The gala that also had the top performers from each of the other sports disciplines crowned was spiced up by music performances from artistes Rhema Namakula and Winnie Nwagi.