By Douglas Mazune
Uganda Ladies Golf Open
Leaderboard
Angel Eaton 73 75 77 225
I. Madina 76 76 77 229
H. Wanyeche 75 75 79 229
F. Namakula 76 78 80 234
D. Naik 78 83 76 237
Subsidiary event winners
Group A: P. Nambi 140nett
Group B: B. Ngabo 148nett
Group C: K. Jung 143nett
KAMPALA - Tanzanian Angel Eaton was in sparking form, denying local hero Flavia Namakula a third straight Uganda Ladies Golf Open in the event that was spiced up by fashion at the Uganda Golf Club on Sunday.
Eaton’s nine-month stint at an academy in South Africa was evident when she took a two-stroke lead in the opening round, maintained it in the second and wrapped up the three-day event with an aggregate of 225 - four shots clear of compatriots Madina Idd and Hawa Wanyache.
The 22-year-old University of Dar-es-Salaam business management graduate finished nine shots clear of Namakula.
Eaton, who only managed to make the trip to Kampala after her grandparents Joyce and Pelle Svatvar secured funds, was overjoyed to become the first Tanzanian to win the Uganda Open.
“It was really tough winning here. My competitors kept up the pressure but my driving, chipping, and putting was good. My game changed a lot having trained in South Africa,” Eaton stated.
Zambia’s 15 year-old prodigy
The 15-year-old Zambian Devanshi Naik was fifth in the tournament that saw Pauline Nambi, Brenda Ngabo and Kim Jung come top in the subsidiary groups A, B and C respectively.
While Uganda lost the trophy, this year’s edition of the Ladies Open saw the tournament dominated by youthful women who broke from the club tradition that restricts ladies to shorts not more two inches above the knees.
“This is an international event where women are free to show some style just like on the women’s tour. But we are not going to do the same in our local tournaments. We will probably get to a level where such style is permissible like in other countries,” Uganda Ladies Golf Union president Jasper Kamukama told New Vision.
