TANZANIAN golfers celebrated a bright start in their renewed efforts to conquer this year's Kenya Ladies Coast Open whose first round teed off at the Leisure Lodge course in Mombasa, Kenya on Monday.
The annual tournament organised by Kenya Ladies Golf Union (KLGU) in collaboration with host clubs, brings together top golfers from across the East African Community (EAC) member countries; Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania in a race for top honours.
Tanzania Ladies Golf Union (TLGU) president Queen Siraki said in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday that the brave Tanzanian ladies started well after winning two of three top-gross prizes and were third-placed in the net category at the end of the first series Diamond Leisure showdown out of five-event series.
Siraki said Neema Olomi from Arusha Gymkhana Club (AGC) grossed 79 strokes in the opening series to finish overall runner-up.
Vicky Elias from Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) Lugalo Golf Club of Dar es Salaam finished third overall on countback after tying with Olomi on the same score.
Olomi and Elias each grossed 79 strokes and rarely missed the title by a stroke drift. The round was won by host Nzioka Mongeli who carded a 78 in the KLGU Golfer Of The Year (GOTY) series
Siraki said Loveness Mungure, who recently won the Zambia Ladies Open, also did well as she finished third overall in the net category.
Siraki commended golfers for their impressive first-round results on a foreign course.
"It is an encouraging start. They did so well. They are very impressive as always and we are well represented," Siraki noted.
She wished the Tanzanian envoys all the best as the event will be staged in different courses of Mombasa.
On Tuesday the battle headed to Mombasa Golf Club for another 18-hole tournament.
According to Siraki, today (Wednesday) there will be the toughest round of the series, the 36-hole competition at Nyali Golf Club (GOTY), before the tournament's final round on Thursday, and then the players take a day off.
On August 4th this year, the team will head to Malindi Golf Club for another 18-hole tee-off. This will conclude with the PGA Vipingo Ridge 18-hole (GOTY) series on August 5.
Tanzania's top contenders including Madina Iddi, who has already, bagged two major titles in her 2023 missed this year's event.