Uganda's Golf team targets top-four finish at All Africa Championship

A four-man Ugandan team is targeting a top-four finish in this year’s All Africa Golf Team Championship (AAGTC) at the Bulawayo Golf Club course, October 29-November 2.

Team captain Joseph Cwinya-ai leads the squad, which also includes Uganda Open champion Reagan Akena and Ibrahim Ssemakula, who recently combined to finish second in the Region IV Championship in Rwanda.

Youngster Elton Thembo, who replaced Joseph Kasozi, is the new face on the team, aiming to better their tenth-place finish achieved two years ago in Egypt.

Previously, the UGU fielded three-time Uganda Open winner Ronald Otile, Titus Okwong, Collins Ajidra, and Emmanuel Jakisa, all attached to and playing college golf at Livingstone College in the US, but they failed to match the competition then. Cwinya-ai, competing at this level for the second time, believes his side can perform much better and finish at least fourth as they did in 2019 in Mauritius.

“The Region IV championship prepared us very well because we finished second overall and I was happy with the team’s performance; the guys showed the spirit and we were happy with second position,” Cwinya-ai said after the team was flagged off to the championship by NCS chairman Ambrose Tashobya at the Uganda Golf Club on Friday. “The team’s target is to better our fourth-place finish from the last time I was captain in Mauritius in 2019. It is a good event that will help us show our abilities and improve our rankings."

“The National Council of Sports and the UGU has given us the morale to perform at our best. It is up to us to show our capabilities and apply what we have learned from our coach. I have confidence in my teammates; despite being junior players, they are all solid enough to perform to their best for the country,” Cwinya-ai stated.

Thembo, making his debut with the senior team outside the country, said he was excited about the opportunity and ready to put up his best performance with the team. “I’m not scared since I have already had a stint with the team during the Victoria Cup. I’m ready because I have been practicing a lot since the year started, and we have been in camp for the last two weeks. I want to perform to my best and help the team win so we can bring the trophy back home,” Thembo said.

Team coach Flavia Namakula said her charges will face familiar foes and are ready for the championship. “The team is ready. The boys are very positive; it is not going to be an easy competition, but the time we have put in has been sufficient. The Bulawayo course is tough and the conditions are dry, but we have trained on different courses to ensure we are ready for all conditions,” Namakula said.

Tashobya, who flagged off the team, called upon them to represent the country to the best of their abilities. “This is a big opportunity for you as individuals to represent the country at the African level. So, my encouragement to you is to stay focused and give it your best,” Tashobya advised. “NCS is committed to supporting the development of golf in the country, and we will continue playing our part as you also play yours. Learn from the lessons that golf provides so that they become life skills that shape other aspects of your life.”

Uganda will be one of the 15 countries taking part, including Morocco, South Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Seychelles, Egypt, Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia, and host nation Zimbabwe.