Team P&B win first leg of Katogo Golf Series 2025
Matsiko and Atwine, long-time friends, executed their strategy effectively to overcome the ‘Bogey Busters’ team of Florah Ihunde and Peace Hellen, securing the one-day championship.
The different winners pose with sponsors representatives after the the first leg of the Katogo Golf Series at Entebbe Club, March 15, 2025. (Photos by Michael Nsubuga)
Michael Nsubuga
Sports journalist @New Vision
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Bob Matsiko and Peter Atwine, competing as Team P&B, scored 57 nett to claim victory in the opening leg of the 2025 I&M Bank Katogo Golf Series at Entebbe Club on Saturday.
The Katogo tournament features unconventional formats that deviate from traditional play, adding an exciting twist to the game and enriching the experience at these quarterly outings.
Saturday’s round used the ‘rejected’ format, in which both players on each team tee off at every hole. The opposing team then selects which of their tee shots will be used for the second shot. The team’s better nett score on each hole counts towards the total.
Each team has the option to reject the chosen position on six holes, in which case they select where to play their second shot instead. However, under specific rules, the worst nett score on these rejections is then counted as the team’s score.
Matsiko and Atwine, long-time friends, executed their strategy effectively to overcome the ‘Bogey Busters’ team of Florah Ihunde and Peace Hellen, securing the one-day championship. They finished two strokes ahead of Michael Andama and Jim Kamanyi (Protons) and Brian Manyindo and Michael Odur (Wakanda), who tied for second place.
"We had a fantastic round and were in great form today. My partner Matsiko played well on the front nine, and I performed well on the back nine, so we complemented each other perfectly," Atwine said.
"The play format was interesting, and we had to devise a strategy early on to make it work for us. Our approach was to embrace all the rejections from our opponents and play our balls where necessary. We confidently rejected their good shots, especially when we felt we could capitalise on the opportunity," he explained.
Matsiko added, "At first, we were sceptical about how we would handle the format, but after the first two holes, we got into sync with the gameplay. We ensured we stayed on the fairway, leaving our opponents with no chance of a badly placed ball. Our better ball was consistently on the fairway."
The victory has inspired the pair, who each won RwandAir tickets to a destination of their choice. They are now determined to replicate their success in future rounds.
"As champions, we understand that we need to come back and defend our title, so we are committed to winning more rounds," Matsiko stated.
The runners-up and second runners-up teams will enjoy golf packages at the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort, including rounds of golf and lunch or dinner for two.
Additionally, winners of the pre-tournament quiz each received a bottle of Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, courtesy of UBL, the event’s official beverage partner.
Singer Naava Grey entertained guests at the 19th hole, with her hits particularly resonating with the female golfers in attendance.