Bumper entry for 2018 Lugalo Open golf meet
Tanzania’s top female golfer Madina Idd watches her tee shot during a past tournament. On Sunday, she retained her Kenya Open Ladies strokeplay title at Sigona Golf Club course. photo | file
Dar es Salaam. Newly-crowned Kenya Ladies Open champion Madina Idd, will be the major attraction in this year’s Lugalo Open Championship.
The most coveted showpiece on the local golfing calendar is scheduled for June 23-24 at the Lugalo Golf Club course.
An overwhelming field of more than 150 golfers from various clubs around the country will battle it out for top honours during the 36-strokeplay tournament, according to the club captain, Japhet Masai.
“As Lugalo Open organisers, we are proud to host this great tournament, which has a broader objective of turning around Tanzania’s golf fortunes,” Masai said yesterday.
The two-day tournament, which has been sanctioned by Tanzania Golf Union (TGU), will feature both amateur and professional golfers.
In the ladies category, Madina Idd and defending champion Vicky Elias are among golfers tipped to shine in the anxiously awaited tournament.
In this section, Idd is still hot to handle, having beaten Kenyan Kellie Gachaga by a narrow margin of one shot to retain her Kenya Open Ladies strokeplay title at Sigona Golf Club course in Kenya over the weekend.
The handicap three Idd posted rounds of 77 and 78 during day one, while in the final round, the Arusha Gymkhana Club player fired three over par 75 for a total of 230 gross.
Kenyan Gachaga made a slow start, firing 80, though she made an improvement with 74 and 76 for 231 to finish second, with Kenya’s Agnes Nyakio in third place on 234. The best placed Ugandan player was Irene Nakalembe playing off two, who posted 237 to take home the fourth prize, while Kenyan Naomi Wafula, a past winner of the event, finished fifth on 239 gross.
The first and second rounds gross went to Tanzania’s Neema Olomi on 79 and Kenyan Ashley Awuor won the second with 78.
The other top female golfers for the event are the 2018 Nigeria Ladies Open reigning champion Angel Eaton, Hawa Wanyenche, Ayne Magombe and Lina Nkya.
In the men’s category, the golfers tipped to steal show at the tournament include defending champion Victor Joseph, Abbas Adam, Adam Said, George Gwacha, Richard Mtweve, Cloud Mtavangu and Eric Nyenza.
