HEAD-TO-HEAD

By Douglas Mazune THE inaugural Uganda Ladies Golf Union (ULGU) matchplay championship tees off this afternoon at Kitante course with 14 players vying for seven places in the second round. Nine players with the lowest handicaps got a bye into the second round of the three-day competition which ends on Sunday. They will be drawn with the seven in eight pairs for the second round of the tournament tomorrow. Ladies Open champion Norah Mbabazi and former champions Monica Ntege and Margaret Turya lead the group. Others in round two are; Alice Owori, Lydia Errikson, Eva Okatch, Jasper Musasizi, Getrude Acato and Maria Dofonzo. Cecilia Lwanga, Rose Musoke and veteran former national champion Alice Kego are favoured to win their first round encounters. The competition is sponsored by the Alarm Group of Companies. In the matchplay format, players will compete off scratch in pairs, and at the end of the first round the ones who will have won more holes will advance to the next round of 16. In this case, seven of the 14 players in the first round will join the top nine already in second to battle for eight berths in the next round. The knock out will continue and finally the last two will go head-to-head for the championship on Sunday. The dominant Mbabazi will be the favourite to win the event following the mass withdrawal of a team of Kenyan players who had been expected to enter the tournament. Ladies above handicap 20 and men will compete in the subsidiary event. First round draw Schuppius vs Rhoda Tumusiime Milly Daugherty vs Nema Tindyebwa Rose Wandera vs Vicky Matovu Jenina Nasimolo vs Alice Kego Sigeco Tetsumoto vs Rose Musoke Cecilia Lwanga vs Grace Obua Ruth Okwele vs Christine Numembi ends