Golfer Namakula fired up after training stint in Holland

By Michael Nsubuga           

Uganda’s number one lady golfer Flavia Namakula believes she is now more equipped with new skills that can help her put up a good show at a major golf event, after attending a one-month training stint in Holland.

Pepsi sponsored Namakula, together with her Tanzania rival Angel Eaton and Brenda Tuhaise Ngabo, had a training programme at the Dutch Course, which is ranked 8th best in Holland and is at the heart of Holland’s bid to host the 2018 Ryder Cup.

The trio were hosted by Johan Pader, the CEO of Amarant Bakker, a company that has a long standing relationship with Crown Beverages Limited.

“The gesture we extended to the three lady golfers shows our commitment to developing sports in the country.  This sponsorship provided a perfect platform for the brand to invite and inspire fans to Live for Now,” Innocent Tibayeita of Pepsi, said.

Namakula is now gearing up for the Uganda Ladies Open due October in Kampala. She lost last year’s title to her training partner Eaton and it will interesting to see how the two fair at the tournament.

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Flavia Namakula (L), Brenda Ngabo and Angel Eaton (R) pose at Kitante before they left for a one-month training in the Netherlands, July 2 2014. PHOTO: Michael Nsubuga

The last time Namakula took part in an international tournament was at the 2012 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

Her debut turned out to be a baptism of fire as she struggled her way to a +22 on the opening day of the tournament and was subsequently disqualified.

According to the Ladies European Tour rules, if a player scores more than 14-over in one round of a tournament, she is automatically disqualified.

“At the time I played in Dubai I had never played on an international course. It was disheartening. However, while in Holland last month, I got acclimatized to world-class golf courses,” Namakula said.

“Key to note is that the greens, sand quality and fairways are different out there as compared to here. With that experience on such courses, I believe I can compete favourably with the world’s top golfers now,” she added.