Uganda ready to wrestle back the Africa Region IV Golf Championship

When the Uganda national golf team steps on the Addis Ababa Golf Course in Ethiopia on Wednesday one task will be on their mind; win back the Africa Region IV Golf Championship.

Uganda will be looking for their third crown in the championship which debuted in 2018, and which Uganda won in Kenya before retaining it the following year in Bujumbura.

But last year, post-covid-19, Uganda surrendered the trophy to Kenya at the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and is now eager to re-claim the trophy from them at the same course where Uganda last won the East African Golf Challenge in 2016. Despite tying overall on 16 points with Kenya, the Ugandans as defending champions retained the trophy to make it three in three years.

The team led by coach Flavia Namakula was flagged off to the championship at the Uganda Golf Club on Monday by Uganda Golf Union (UGU)president Moses Matsiko who was in the company of his deputy Jackson Were, UGU secretary Anthony Agaba and team manager Sam Kacungira. The team is composed of senior players Ibrahim Bagalana (captain), Godfrey Nsubuga, as well as juniors; Joseph Akena and Juma Abiti who recently qualified for the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan.

The team to the Africa Region IV Golf Championship in Ethiopia pose with the national flag at Kitante before the left for the championship, June 5, 2023. L-R: Sam Kacungira, Anthony Agaba, Flavia Namakula, Juma Abiti, Godfrey Nsubuga, Joseph Akena, Ibrahim Bagalana, Jackson Were and Moses Matsiko. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

Bagalana believes the team is more prepared after getting additional coaching from high-performance R&A coaches from South Africa recently.

“I have a lot of confidence after preparing well both physically and mentally and all the mechanics that any golfer would need. So we have been polishing and I’m very sure that what we have gone through has prepared us well enough to put up the best representation,” Bagalana said.

“My fellow players are also very confident and we have been working on teamwork which is all needed because this is a team championship. I believe as a team we shall offer the best for the country.

“We are not worried about anyone and I’m sure we can win the trophy back. No Ugandan should worry about us because we are ready to give it our best,” Bagalana stated.

The rest of the team members, their coach, and the union officials were also hoping for the best ahead of the four-round championship.

“We are more prepared than last year, this time the UGU realized that we needed to prepare more than we did last year and they have provided us with everything we needed. We were privileged recently to have R&A coaches who provided valuable tips, so we have been trying to put that into practice while we were in camp for the last one week, so what I can say is we are well prepared to get a good result this time around,” Nsubuga who was part of the 2019 winning side in Bujumbura, said.

“My short game has improved, my putting is very good, even my long drives are now straight and I can now hit up to 150 yards; accuracy and alignment are okay, everything is fine,” Juma Abiti added.

“It’s a great feeling to represent the country and I know this is a job we have to execute well. We have prepared enough to be number one at this championship.

“We have improved greatly on our short game and worked on our mental game, worked on different shots after tips from the R&A coaches who gave us what to work on, which we did, so we are ready to reclaim the top spot,” Akena said.

Matsiko said the team is in a good position to fight for the championship in which Uganda has participated strongly since inception. He hailed the NCS for offering part of the resources to ensure the team is well prepared for the event and called on fans to offer their moral and spiritual support.

Uganda will battle for honours with golfers from Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and South Sudan.

Last year at Serena, Kigo, Kenya beat Uganda 3-0 (pts) in the final played under the match-play format, to win their maiden Region IV trophy.