Musoke bags second Equity-NARO Golf Open Amateur Championship

Dominic Musoke of Mary Louise Simkins Memorial Golf Course recorded a 2-under 208 over 54 holes to win the 5th Equity-NARO Golf Open Championship in Namulonge on Friday.

Playing off scratch, Musoke recorded 14 birdies, 7 bogies, 2 double bogies, and 31 pars over three rounds to secure his second Namulonge title in the World Amateur Golf Ranking event at the par-70, nine-hole course. He previously won the event in 2023 with a 1-under 139 over 36 holes, before its elevation to WAGR status last year.

Musoke finished five strokes ahead of runner-up Joseph Cwinyaai, earning the largest share of the sh4 million amateur prize. Charles Jjunju (217), Juma Abiti (218), and last year’s winner Abdallah Kakooza placed third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

“It was not difficult because I am familiar with the course. I am pleased to have won. This tournament gave me much to consider. Although I knew my competitors were close behind, I remained calm. Cwinyaai and Jjunju are strong golfers, but I maintained a five-stroke lead going into the final round and held on to win.”

Equity Bank’s head of marketing and communication Clare Tumwesigye (left) presents a sh2m cheque to the ladies overall winner Meron Kyomugisha after the Equity-NARO Golf Open in Namulonge. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

“My daily training, which includes jogging 5 kilometers, hitting 300 balls on the range, and playing at least one 18-hole round, contributed significantly to my performance. I will continue to work hard for future tournaments,” Musoke stated.

In the ladies’ division, Meron Kyomugisha, who is no stranger to winning at Namulonge, returned an overall 1-under 221 over the three rounds to win and take the biggest share of sh2m. She won by 17 strokes ahead of Joyce Kisembo (238) and Resty Nalutaaya (241) who finished second and third overall. The standouts in the subsidiary event included Philemon Akatuhurira (37 pts), who topped the Group A competition ahead of Luke Nyakarahuka (33) and Patrick Okoth (32). Ruth Akello, Gloria Nanyonga and Joweria Namanda were the top performers in the ladies' Group A

Equity Bank Managing Director Gift Shoko and a number of the high-ranking staff of the bank and guests from Zimbabwe competed and attended the closing ceremony. The tournament coincided with the bank’s 17th anniversary in Uganda, and the ‘19th hole’ was symbolically marked as the Equity 17th Hole, representing every step of progress they have made together with their customers, partners, and communities over the 17 impactful years.

“We gather here not only to celebrate the success of the fifth edition of the Equity-NARO Championship but also to mark 17 years of Equity’s journey in Uganda—17 years of transforming lives through providing opportunities for wealth creation for the people that we serve,” Shoko said.

“Equity Bank will continue to walk with this club as it grows, including exciting plans to develop new structures and expand the course from nine to 18 holes. We stand for transformation of communities, and we strongly believe that we must bring our dreams to life, and one of our dreams is to see a Namulonge product playing on the PGA Tour, and we will walk that journey together,” he stated.

To five - men

Dominic Musoke 68 70 70 208

Joseph Cwinyaai 68 75 70 213

Charles Jjunju 66 77 74 217

Juma Abiti 75 71 72 218

Abdullah Kakooza 74 70 77 221

Top five – women

Meron Kyomugisha 72 80 69 221

Joyce Kisembo 77 83 78 238

Resty Nalutaaya 79 78 84 241

Peace Kabasweka 82 82 78 242

Gloria Mbaguta 79 79 86 244

Martha Babirye 79 82 83 244