Swaziland dents Uganda's Africa Zone V golf title hopes

Apr 12, 2018

Uganda will now play another classification match against Malawi (for fifth place) on Thursday

PIC: The Ugandan team pose at the Chapman Golf Course in Zimbabwe before action on Tuesday. (Courtesy photo)

GOLF

Uganda's hopes of lifting the Africa Zone V Golf Championship for the second time came short on Wednesday when they lost to Swaziland in the quarterfinals at the Chapman Golf Course in Zimbabwe.

The Africa Region V Golf Championship is an annual national team event which Uganda last won in 2015 when it was hosted at the Uganda Golf Club in Kampala.

In the opening Singles Round, only Richard Baguma managed to win his match against Mandla Dramini, 4&3; with Rennie Brandon beating Joel Basalaine, 1up.

 In the afternoon foursomes, Uganda could only pick a half point before losing on the first hole the sudden death play-off.

However, Uganda was able to beat Namibia in the battle for 5th and 6th positions with Basaline winning his match against Likius Nande, 4&3 and Becca Mwanja and Edrine Okwong also winning their foursomes against Kevin Wentzel and Walter Heibeb, 3&1.

Uganda will now play another classification match against Malawi (for fifth place) on Thursday.

Richard Baguma will be up against Alfred Chikale, while Basalaine will entertain Gift Landisi in another singles round, as Mwanja and Okwong battle in the foursomes against the same opponents.

In the opening seeding round, Uganda carded a gross total of 235 to finish 5th, with team captain Becca Mwanja (77), Joel Basalaine (80) and Joel Basalaine (80) contributing to the day-one's scores.

South African Matt Saulez topped the stroke play qualifier to give South Africa's title defence an early boost on Tuesday.

South Africa has won the tournament outright since inception with the exception of 1998, when the team tied with Zimbabwe in Swaziland, but won on a count out of holes up.

Kenya, who won in Botswana in 2010, briefly interrupted their clean sweep with Uganda also winning on home soil in 2015.

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