Uganda’s junior golfers are determined to put up a stronger showing on day two of the Africa Region VI Junior Team Championship after a challenging opening round at the Tamarina Golf and Spa Resort in Mauritius on Tuesday.
As is often the case with junior golf competitions, the focus is less on immediate victory and more on building exposure, experiencing elite-level competition, and adapting to world-class courses that are not always available back home.
However, Uganda’s representatives—Shaka Kariisa Ndyabahika and Banza Matsiko Gershom—were left disappointed after posting rounds of 85 and 87 respectively.
“I didn’t play well,” admitted the soft-spoken Matsiko. “Tomorrow, however, I hope to improve. I will play better, I believe.”
Kariisa, more assertive, pledged a stronger comeback: “Today we didn’t play well, but tomorrow, we are going to go hard.” The +2.3 handicap golfer will tee off last at 9:10am in the final group alongside Madagascar’s Matteo Rakotofiringa and Tanzania’s Ramadhani Yasin Mohamed. Matsiko will feature in the penultimate three-ball with Tanzania’s Ibrahim Juma Lukuli and Madagascar’s Romain Fitahiana Gagneux.
The championship has attracted six teams—hosts Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda—each represented by two boys and two girls. Scoring is based on the best three gross scores out of four each day.
For Uganda, Tuesday’s countable scores came from Kariisa (85), Keisha Wiltsire Kagoro (86), and Matsiko (87). The team’s fourth player, Elizabeth Danelle Dlexik Kawalya, carded an 87.
Uganda currently sits fourth on the leaderboard, while Reunion lead at +10, followed by Kenya (+17) and Mauritius (+27). Despite the rough start, coach Flavia Namakula is optimistic.
“We had a tough day on the course, but I know that they can bounce back and do better tomorrow,” Namakula said. “We didn’t have the mental toughness today, on a day when the course was playing tough with some tricky pin positions.”
