Museveni rewards national team golfers

By Michael Nsubuga

President Yoweri Museveni has offered each member of the national amateur golf team sh3m for winning both the East African Challenge and the Zone V1 Africa Championship.

Museveni made the offer during a state luncheon for the team at Nakasero State House on Monday.

Uganda amateur golf team captain Adolf Muhumuza attributed the team's Africa Zone V1 triumph to the letter that the president wrote to the team before the tournament.

Museveni who was earlier scheduled to tee off the tournament did not make it to the golf club and was instead represented by the Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda who read the special message from the President to the team, wishing them success.

"The message you sent us before the tournament motivated us and gave us confidence which enabled us to win," Muhumuza said.

"After the first, day we had a meeting and resolved to double our efforts, so each day we went to the course with that in mind and that is how we made it, we are happy for hosting us and we promise we shall come back with another victory,"

Muhumuza thanked the sponsors, the Uganda Golf Union for giving the team enough time to train on the course.

"Your Excellency as you can see, the boys are now fired up to win more trophies, so we shall be coming back here more often," Kiryowa Kiwanuka the UGU president chipped in.

Former UGU president Jim Muhwezi also lauded the government for recognising the game of golf and for its role in promoting tourism.

"When you passed on the message to the team everybody was encouraged because we knew the game had now moved to another level,"

"We now know that no encroachers in the name of investors is going to eye the course (UGC) and we also now know that other courses that were encroached on will be protected because government now recognizes the importance of golf courses," Muhwezi stated.

He thanked the President for getting involved in the sport because his involvement "leads to more awareness and motivates other people".