Uganda Junior golfers off for the Junior World Cup in Japan
Jun 13, 2019
The tournament will be played at the Chukyo Golf Club Ishino Course in Fukada Houyu-Cho Toyota-Shi, Aichi-Ken, Nagoya.
The Ugandan team to the 2019 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Nagoya, Japan has been implored to put up their best in order to make Uganda and Africa proud.
The message to the four-man team comprising of Joel Basalaine, Michael Alunga, Ibrahim Aliga, and Dennis Asaba before the flew out Thursday was clear; play to your best so that Uganda is noticed.
"You have earned it. But remember you're representing the continent, Uganda and all of us; it is a big responsibility," Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) CEO Liry Ajarova remarked before she hosted the team to a luncheon in Kampala.
"But you'll even be able to earn more, and as UTB we are very proud to be associated with and we shall even be prouder if you play well in Japan," Ajarova added.
UTB is the shirt sponsors of the all the golf national teams and have injected sh45m for all national teams that will represent Uganda in the Africa Region 1V (ended in Burundi), Victoria Cup, Toyota World Cup and the All Africa Golf Championship in Mauritius in August.
Ajarova said UTB was mandated to market Uganda as a tourist destination and had now added sports (golf) as one the products to drive it. She thanked the Uganda Golf Union for giving the young boys an opportunity to develop their talent before she handed over uniforms to the team.
The national Junior Golf team L-R: Oscar Semawere, Dennis Asaba, Joel Basalaine, Michael Alunga, Ibrahim Aliga, and Coach Stephen Kasaija and team manager Moses Matsiko pose in UTB sponsored shirts before the team left for the 2019 Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan, June 13, 2019. PHOTO: Michael Nsubuga
The Director of the Uganda Junior Golf Academy, Oscar Semawere who is traveling with the team said Uganda was going as underdogs but they were going to put on a great show.
"It is going to be good exposure and an eye opener for the boys because some of the juniors that have participated in that event before have gone on to win major events across the world," Semawere stated.
"We are extremely grateful to the sponsors for putting us at another level. Let's us pray that we are not the last like Morocco who represented Africa last year. This sponsorship will motivate us even further to perform better,"
UGU president thanked UTB for the support they have offered for golf and said the team will on top of playing golf represent with a brand; ‘Visit Uganda' in order to promote Uganda not only as a golfing nation but a tourist destination as well.
General team manager Moses Matsiko advised the boys to take each round at a time, keep the discipline, respect their opponents but be tough for the competition.
The Ugandans will be up against golfers from; Denmark, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and the USA.
The tournament will be played at the Chukyo Golf Club Ishino Course in Fukada Houyu-Cho Toyota-Shi, Aichi-Ken, Nagoya.