Zambia’s Dayne Moore takes two-stroke lead as the Pros Open starts

Zambia’s Dayne Moore shot an opening round 7-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead as the Johnnie Walker Uganda Professionals Open got underway at the Entebbe Club on Wednesday.

The Ndola Golf Club pro enjoyed a perfect round to take a two-stroke lead ahead of Kenyan golfer Jastas Madoya who played 5-under 66.

“It can always be better, I made a silly mistake on hole-16 and my par putt didn’t go in so I got a bogey there, but all-in-all it was a good round. I made some putts, missed some and that is golf,” Moore said.

He is now hoping he can be second time lucky in the second round, having notched nine birdies with his almost perfect round only interrupted by two bogeys on holes 6 and 16, all par-threes.

“I hope I can improve on that; we have to see. I mean you don’t get these type of days every day,” Moore, who last competed in Entebbe in 2018, and finished third overall then, stated.

“The course is in much better condition and I started enjoying coming here because you have some very good courses here,”

Madoya also noted that his round could have been better if he had birdied the ‘simple par-4s, holes’ 13 and 14 where he could only score par.

“I three-putted on each of those holes but my round was very good, I maintained my calmness which made it easier and enjoyable. About winning it again I can’t commit right now but I’m on track; the greens are much better,” Madoya, who won the event in 2021 on the same course said.

Uganda’s best performer after the first round was Palm Valley Golf and Country Club’s Abraham Ainamani who carded 2-under 69 after he enjoyed a bogey-free back nine where he notched four birdies on the par-4s 13 and 14 and on the par-5s holes 15 and 18.

“I started badly with bogey but scored six consecutive pars thereafter, so my game wasn’t that bad, I managed to play seven holes on regulation on the back nine with four birdies, so I hope to improve on that in the second round,” Ainamani noted.

“You have to play many birdies in order to match these opponents and after getting a clear picture of the greens it can only get better. I only have to keep on giving myself a chance on every hole,”

Opio Onito, son to the late legendary golfer Sadi Onito shot an opening round one-under 70 and is also hoping to improve on that.

“It should have been better if it wasn’t for the many bunkers I hit most of the time,” he noted.

But it is another Kenyan Samuel Chege who played two shots better than Opio is in third position while Celestine Nsanzuwera who won the Absa Bank Pro-Am is tied fifth with Mike Kisia who all played one-under 70.

Two other Ugandan pros Adolf Muhumuza and Phillip Kasozi are also among the top ten after the first round alongside Uganda’s top amateurs, Uganda Open champion Joseph Akena and Joseph Cwinyaai who are among seven players who all played level-par 71.

Former winner Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi could have been in the same conversation but his ball got lost in the tree branches surrounding hole 17 which cost him a two-stroke penalty for him to finish with a two-over 73.

Round 1: Top ten

Dayne Moore (ZIM) 64

Jastas Madoya (KEN) 66

Samuel Chege (KEN) 68

Abraham Ainamani (UG) 69

Celestin Nsanzuwera (RWA) 70

Mike Kisia (KEN) 70

Opio Onito (UG) 70

Jeff Kubwa (KEN) 71

Phillip Kasozi (UG) 71

Visitor Mapawanya (ZIM) 71

Joseph Cwinyaai (UG-AM) 71

Elisante Lembris (TAN) 71