Innocent Ndawula
7 October 2008
Kitante — Hole 19 (bar & lounge area) at the Kitante Golf Club breathed a new-life during the prize giving ceremony of the 2008 Standard Chartered sponsored Uganda Ladies Amateur Open on Sunday.
Youthful golfers bagged the major trophies, lucrative prizes and their partying that went on till the wee-hours of the morning was justified after three days of exciting golf.
New generation
Overall champion Melissa Nawa (16) of Zambia, the Tanzanian pair of Hawa Wanyeche (23) and Angel Eaton (18) plus Ugandan teenager Meron Kyomugisha (15) showed they were well aware of what the future holds and not just a bunch of raw talented youngsters.
At just 16, Nawa is a decorated golfer, having won other titles in South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Zambia and Egypt. "I started playing when I was 10 and now I have the exposure to compete without being intimidated," said Nawa.
"I thank my sponsor Robert Chomba (President of Lusaka Golf Club) who facilitates my trips," said Nawa before urging regional golf bodies to attract more youth to the game.
Nawa also paid tribute to her caddie (Brian Magembe, the caddie for UPGA captain Deo Akope) for his priceless advice that enabled her emerge champion.
"Brian is a very resourceful caddie and knows the game well. I almost lost him on day two but I thank Deo for allowing him to stay with me." Third-placed Wanyeche also began her career as a caddie in 2005.
The Ugandans toiled with the know-it-all ageing veterans playing second fiddle.
spt2: Maggie Kigozi handed over the overall winners' prize to Nawa
Former winners
2003: E. Okullo (UGA)
2004: R. Naliaka (KEN)
2005: S. Viggo (TAN)
2006: M. Karano (KEN)
2007: M. Karano (KEN)
2008: M. Nawa (ZAM)
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
