Shaka Kariisa Ndyabahika and Banza Matsiko Gershom promised a stronger showing on the second day in Mauritius. And they duly delivered. Both golfers shot improved rounds at the Tamarina Golf and Spa resort to entrench Uganda’s fourth position at the Africa Region VI Junior Team Championship.
But while Kariisa and Matsiko put in superb rounds, the day’s best performance for Team Uganda belonged to Keisha Wiltshire Kagoro who carded a seven-over 79. Kagoro’s round was fueled by a magnificent front 9 in which he shot a 35. But things went haywire on the back nine with a bogey-riddled round.
Still, Kagoro can be happy with a much-improved second day. “She is a fighter,” coach Flavia Namakula said. “Like all the rest of the team, no one was happy with how the first day went. So we had a good, candid discussion and spoke openly on the things we had to do to do better
here.”
Yet again the Championship was played under excellent weather. Namakula was noticeably
delighted with the response of the players. “I sat all of them down. We acknowledged that we all had to be mentally strong. We agreed to think before each and every decision we made.
Fortunately, the players were angry with themselves after day one, and that sparked the turnaround.”
For Thursday’s final round, Elizabeth Danelle Dlexik Kawalya tee off at 8:30am (7:30am Kampala time) in the opening three-ball of the championship. Following Kawalya will be Keisha Kagoro at 8:40am. She will tee off alongside Madagascar’s Louanne Pless and Tanzania’s Shufaa Twalib Hassani.
At 8:50am, Kariisa will get started. He is joined by Tanzania’s Ramadhani Yasin Mohamed and Madagascar’s Romain Fitahania Gagneux. Uganda’s fourth talent at the Championship, Matsiko, hits the course at 9am and he will play in the same group as Ibrahim Juma Lukuli (Tanzania) and Matteo Rakotofiringa (Madagascar).
Reunion are destined to emerge as champions with a commanding 21-stroke advantage over second-placed Kenya. Mauritius are third with Uganda consolidating fourth position. Only six strokes separate Mauritius and Uganda. Namakula’s team could still finish in the top three if her team plays well and Mauritius falters.
