Ugandans have a lot to discover

Mar 13, 2006

DEO Akope and Charles Yokwe made their careers as professional golfers in style as the curtain for this year’s Tusker Kenya Open came down at Karen Country in Nairobi on Sunday.

By Reuben Olita in Nairobi

Final results
1. J. Axgren Swe 270 (-10)
2. J. Hepworth Eng 274 (-6)
3.G. Lockerbie Eng 274 (-6)
4. A. Schmidt Den 276 (-5)
5. J. Okello Ke 276 (-4)

DEO Akope and Charles Yokwe made their careers as professional golfers in style as the curtain for this year’s Tusker Kenya Open came down at Karen Country in Nairobi on Sunday.

Sweden’s Johan Axgren playing conservatively, picking up two birdies on the Par 4 4th and the final hole 18 won his second PGA European challenge title with 10 under par 270 to carry home 25,600 euros.

Akope was determined to make a cut in his debut as a pro when he returned +2 after round one but his bid was foiled when he returned the same score in round two to finish +4, missing the cut(+2) by a whisker.

The Ugandan’s undoing was attributed to his inability to putt. In the two games he played, Akope managed a total of five birdies and seven bogeys, a feat that calls for more training and exposure to enable him deliver in future tournaments.
Yokwe was not at his best. He returned a total of 18 over par 158 after round two to settle among the last of the 156 starters.

In professional golf, money is what counts. Making a cut would have certainly put Akope among the 60 who received cash prizes.

The Ugandans had to part with Ksh1,600 everyday to meet caddie fees.
East Africans had something to cheer about when Kenya’s Jacob Okello’s sizzling final round of 64 pushed him right back in the leader board finishing in joint fifth position to earn 6506 euros.

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