Tanzania's Madina wins Uganda ladies title as Samia praises golfers

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s top lady golfer, Madina Iddi, has continued to excel on the international stage by winning the Uganda Open Ladies Championship held at the Entebbe course.

Madina outshone Uganda's top golfers to win the most prestigious ladies' golf event, marking her second title in Uganda within 10 days and her third international victory this year.

About 10 days ago, Madina claimed victory at the Uganda Club Ladies Open, finishing with a total of 230 strokes, outperforming other prominent golfers from East Africa at the Uganda Golf Club.

In July, Madina also triumphed at the Zambia Ladies’ Amateur Open Golf Stroke Play Championship, beating competitors from Zimbabwe, Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, and host Zambia. The Tanzanian star recorded scores of 78, 76, and 74, totalling 228 strokes in the 54-hole event.

Besides Madina, the tournament saw Hawa Wanyeche finish second after recording scores of 74, 80, and 76, making a total of 230 strokes. The third place was shared by Martha Babirye of Uganda, who recorded scores of 75, 77, and 80, and Tanzania’s Neema Olomi, who scored 76, 77, and 79. Both golfers totalled 232 strokes.

Adding to the historic achievements was another Tanzanian golfer, Aalaa Riyaz Somji, who recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3 hole 6. Other Tanzanians in the tournament included Vicky Elias, Yasmin Chali, and Loveness Mungure.

Samia praises golfers

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has congratulated Tanzania's lady golfers for continuing to proudly fly the nation's flag beyond its borders, while also promising to bring in a foreign coach to train the national team.

This was revealed by the minister for Culture, Arts, and Sports, Damas Ndumbaro, following the consistently strong performances of Tanzania's lady golfers abroad.

Ndumbaro stated that President Samia was very pleased with the golfers' excellent performance and has decided to bring in a coach who will be paid by the government.

"I spoke with President Samia, and she has congratulated Madina Iddi and teammates for their excellent results and for winning the women's golf tournament in Uganda. It is a source of pride for Tanzania," said Ndumbaro.

He mentioned that they would coordinate with the leadership of the Tanzania Ladies Golf Union to achieve this, as he believes Tanzania has more talented players who can excel internationally.

"Madina and teammates have proudly flown the country's flag, and they deserve high praise. We believe they will perform well in the upcoming tournaments," he said.

He added that they aim to develop players who will continue to make Tanzania shine, and the government has now developed a golf curriculum that will be taught at the Malya Sports College.

"We are preparing a 9-hole golf course at Malya College, which will be used to train golf instructors for primary and secondary schools. We want golf to be included in the upcoming Umiseta and Umitashumta games, with the goal of developing this sport," he said.