Uganda to make another attempt at qualifying for the Toyota Junior World Cup

Uganda junior golfers will next month attempt to qualify for the Toyota World Cup for the second time when the country hosts the All Africa Junior Golf Team Championships at the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa.

Since 2019 when Coach Stephen Kasaija Uganda’s junior team comprising Michael Alunga, Ibrahim Aliga, Joel Basalaine, and Denis Asaba made their debut in Nagoya, no other national junior team has managed to emulate them because of not doing well in the African championship, which is the qualifier to the event.

At home, the Ugandans will now hope to give it another go, in the first of several events on the Africa Golf Confederation (AGC) 2023 calendar. This will be the first time that Uganda will be hosting a continental junior event in Kampala, Uganda, April 9-12 in Kigo.

The top two boys’ teams and the winner in the girl’s category will qualify for the Toyota World Junior Championship in Japan, to be held in June 2023. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, and only one boys’ and one girls’ team represented the continent in Japan last year.

The boys’ team that is currently preparing for the event under Coach and professional golfer Flavia Namakula includes Reagan Akena, Pius Ochieng, Juma Abiti from the Mehta Golf Club, Lugazi as well as Collins Ociti, and Samuel Bazaale from Entebbe.

Reagan Akena. Photos by Michael Nsubuga

The girls’ team is comprised of Winnie Musuya, Frista Birabwa, and Vivian Achen (all from Entebbe) who all represented Uganda at last year’s event in Egypt; and Florence Asio, Mercy Ssebagala and Shadia Nalugya (from Jinja and Lugazi). The teams will be trimmed to four players each for the tournament which is played over four rounds.

“We have also included affiliate national amateur championships from Namibia, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, and Egypt. These events will be open for participation by all amateur golfers in Africa and will contribute towards the World Amateur Golf Ranking,” AGC president Johnson Omolo stated.

After the junior championship in Egypt, national teams will then head to Ethiopia for the Africa Region 4 Championship which is expected to attract seven countries. Eswatini will host the Region 5 Golf Championship in quarter two and Cote d’Ivoire will host the Regions 2 and 3 Championships in quarter three.

“To ensure the growth of regional events, financing will be a key component, and we will continue exploring options for private and public sector support to ensure the sustainability of these events,” Omolo noted.