Eleven Ugandans make the cut as Moore maintains lead in Pros Open

Eleven Ugandan professionals will partake of the sh150m prize money after they made the cut after the second round of the Johnnie Walker Uganda Professionals Open at the Entebbe Club course on Thursday.

In total 37 professionals will share out the bounty of which the winner will pocket sh40m. Uganda’s amateur players Reagan Akena, Titus Okwong, and Kenyan Adel Balala also made the cut and might receive tokens outside the main prize money.

The Ugandans that made the cut include Ronald Rugumayo who returned the best score among the Ugandans, a three-under 69 on the day, but tied sixth with Abraham Ainamani after the cut-off round with 144 gross over the two days.

The others include Phillip Kasozi, Deo Akope, Marvin Kibirige, Adolf Muhumuza, Opio Onito, Rodell Gaita, David Kamulindwa, Bruhan Matovu, and Vincent Byamukama.

Ainamani in action

The course is playing tough but the Ugandans were determined to make it and now will be aiming to move up the leaderboard where the big money is.

“Things have not been that easy, yesterday was a bit okay but today I have only managed one birdie. The course has been playing tough with the pin positions and with the dry conditions notwithstanding,” Muhumuza said

“People regard the third round as a moving day but I will not attack that much, I will just take it easy. My target is to finish level over the four days and I think that will help me finish in the top five,” Muhumuza stated.

Marvin Kibirige who also made the cut after playing one-under 70 in the second round noted that the tricky course was playing tough with the hard greens and hard fairways owing to the dry conditions.

“I will try to attack tomorrow but it has been hectic over the two days because I came to this event not in the right sense of mind but I played one shot at a time. But it wasn’t easy because I tried to lay up in the opening round and things didn’t work out. I tried to attack today but ended up getting four consecutive bogeys on holes 9, 10, 11, and 12, so I will just take it one shot at a time,” Kibirige said.

Zambia’s Dayne Moore is still in the lead after the second round of the Uganda Professionals Open at Entebbe Club course. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

Ainamaini who was the best Ugandan in the opening round with a 69, played four-over 75 but hopes to better that in the remaining two rounds. He recorded 7 bogies and only three birdies, one less than in the opening round.

 “I knew I was going to make it but because of the pressure to make the cut I couldn’t play but I will need to play more on regulation because my target is to make the top five. But I need to improve on my putting,” Ainamani said.

Samuel Kato and Denis Anguyo as well as amateur player Joseph Cwinyaai missed the cut that was set at +6 by one stroke over the two rounds.

Zambian Dyne Moore maintained his lead with five strokes ahead of Kenyan Jastas Madoya who played ten strokes more than his opening round of five-under 66, but he remained second; one stroke better than Rwandans Celestin Nsanzuwera, Erneste Ndayisenga, and Zimbabwean Promise Sombreiro who are all tied for third with 143 gross after the two rounds.

The day’s round was spiced up by Kenyan Erick Ooko’s hole-in-one on the par-3 hole-2. He used a 9-iron which he used to strike the Titleist Pro V1x ball through the wind, to record his fifth career ace but his first in a major tournament.

“It is a lucky day and it is a nice feeling, and a good feeling to have an ace and to write one on your scorecard,” Ooko, from Golf Park Club in Nairobi, said.