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Cwinya-ai starts strong but Musonda throws down gauntlet in Lugazi
Lugazi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & UGU | Lugazi is a hard course. So much for Zambia’s Dominic Musonda. Playing in Uganda for the first time, the 22-year-old final year Mechanical Engineering student shot a brilliant six-under 65 to assume leadership of the Johnnie Walker Uganda Golf Open at the par-71 Lugazi Hills Golf & Country Club on Wednesday.
Only three other golfers – Joseph Cwinya-ai, Elton Thembo and Abdul Kakeeto – shot under-par rounds on the opening round of the Amateurs Championship. Defending champion Joseph Reagan Akena, competing on his home course, will need a biblical miracle after he shot a sixover 77.
The day, however, belonged to the soft-spoken Musonda. He sunk eight birdies and showcased remarkable scrambling skills to secure his two-stroke lead over second-placed Cwinya-ai. The Zambian’s only blemishes came on the par-4 14th and par-3 17th, those two bogeys staining what would have been a remarkable card.
Ominously for the rest of the field, Musonda believes he can play better. “I hope that my swing comes back,” he told reporters yesterday. “I struggled a lot from the tee and my long irons. My short game and putting saved me,” he added. The Nkana Golf Club noted that driving is usually his strength and he hopes that he can be more efficient off the tee in the subsequent rounds.
Musonda also acknowledged the difficulty of playing at Lugazi. “It is a hard course compared to the courses in Zambia. In Zambia, the courses are flat. But here, you can’t have a proper stance,” he remarked. “I have played so many golf courses around the world but this one is very hard.”
Yet for all Musonda’s undeniable brilliance, Ugandan golfers are still in contention. Besides Cwinya-ai, Thembo and Kakeeto who shot 67 and identical 70s respectively, three golfers are all locked on level-par 71. They are John Musiimenta, Rogers Eyoyo and Peter Tumusiime. Cwinya-ai in particular is known to thrive while chasing and he is by no means out of it.
Seventy golfers competed on Wednesday in what was an impressive turnout considering that Lugazi Hills Golf & Country Club are hosting Uganda’s most prestigious tournament for the first time in history.
The 84th edition of the Uganda Golf Open has, besides Johnnie Walker, been supported by Isuzu, NBS Sport, MAC East Africa, Medisell, MTN Momo, Uganda Tourism Board, Aquafina, ABSA Bank and Lugazi Hills Golf & Country Club.
