Kenya national golf team on Saturday beat Uganda to win the 2022 Africa Region IV Championship during the event’s finale at the ravishing Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa, Kigo.
Kenya emerged atop in both the singles and doubles of the championship (finals) which was played on match play format as the hosts struggled to maintain the steam they had gathered on the opening day.
Former Uganda Golf Open winner John Lejirma beat the current holder of the same championship and Uganda’s Captain Joseph Cwinyaai 5/4 as the former got business done in the 14th hole.
In the other singles of the championship, Adel Balala beat one of Uganda’s best amateur players Godfrey Nsubuga 4/3 with the Kenyan star getting business done in the 15th hole.
In the doubles of the championship, Kenya’s Captain Dennis Maara and his teammate Michael Karanga beat Uganda’s pair of Dennis Asaba and Ibra Bagalana 4/3 to complete a clean sweep over the hosts as they bagged three points against Uganda’s zero points.
Maara, the Kenya skipper said that they came to Uganda with one mission, and that was to win the championship and they had laid out strategies to achieve their sole target.
“We started slowly and that helped us to settle in. We were also competing within ourselves and that helped the team to do well especially on day two and three,” Maara said adding that generally the tournament was a very good outing.
For Uganda, team Captain Cwinyaai says that they had inadequate time to prepare for the tournament but now focus turns to defending the Victoria Cup (Kenya vs Uganda) with this year’s edition scheduled for 28th to 31st July at Limuru Country Club in Kenya.
“Our target was to win this tournament but things didn’t go our way. We lost but also learnt our lessons and we shall work on our mistakes going forward,” Cwinyaai said.
“Between now and then I believe we have enough time to prepare for the Victoria Cup. We shall enter camp tomorrow and that will give us enough time to face Kenya once again and I believe we shall be mentally and physically ready by then. It will be a different story there in Kenya,” Cwinyaai added.
Meanwhile, Rwanda capped the podium after getting two of the three points against
Tanzania in the third place match whilst Burundi beat Ethiopia in the fifth place match after they picked two of the three points across the singles and doubles.
The six-nation event was co-sponsored by the R&A, Uganda Golf Union, Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa (main sponsor), Pepsi, Casa Solada Hotel, Pinnacle Security & Case Medical Services.
