Around 100 golfers will be in the mix when the Professionals (pros) swing into action between 3rd to 6th December 2020 at this year’s Tusker Malt Uganda Open Golf Championship currently underway at Uganda Golf Club’s par-72 course in Kitante.
The Professionals event that will be marking its 15th staging at the Open will have several international players join the Championship that doubles as one of Uganda’s Safari Tour legs.
However, just like other Safari Tour events across East Africa, the paid ranks category of the Uganda Open, since last year is being used as one of the yardsticks to ascertain top 8 Kenyan and two regional (non Kenyan) pros, who will join the rest of the world for the European Tour Magical Kenya Open 2021 which returns to the par-72 Karen Country Club next year.
In the post-lockdown age, three Safari Tour legs have already been played with Kenya’s Greg Snow winning the Limuru Country Club leg in October this year.
On the second week of October, Zimbabwean Robson Chinhoi fought back on last day to emerge the victor at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club off 9 under.
Six time Uganda Open winner Dismas Indiza who had a bad start in the first two legs was untouchable at Vet Lab, where he vanquished Chinhoi by two strokes after a penultimate round of 5 under.
Uganda Open is the fourth event in the Safari Tour calendar and also the first event outside Kenya this season.
Former Uganda national amateur team Captain Philip Kasozi and Abbey Bagalana recently had stints at the Kenyan legs of the Safari Tour and being lone rangers, the pair will seek to be among the two non Kenyans to make it to next year’s Magical Kenya Open.
Following the cancellation of the 2019/20 season due to COVID-19, the new Safari Tour season (2020/21) started with qualifying scores. However, organizers are taking 10 percent of 2018-2019 scores, 20 percent of the 2019-2020 and 70 percent of 2020-2021 scores to determine which pros qualify for the Kenya Open.
However, Lusaka Golf Club’s Muthiya Madalitso is Uganda Open defending champion and is in town in pursuit for a third title.
Uganda Open pro kitty is Shs100m that is set to be split between 30 professional golfers who make the cut. The winner will take 22.5 % of the pro-kitty and the remainder of the players will share 77.5 % of the prize money in ascending order.
