David Opati in action during this year’s Kenya Open. He is seeking a ticket to next year’s Kenya Open when the Kenya Amateur Strokeplay Championships tee off at Karen Club tomorrow.

By JAMES WAINDI (Chief Editor)

International golfer David Opati plans to seal his ticket to next year’s Kenya Open Golf tournament with an outright win at this year’s Kenya Amateur Strokeplay Championships to be held at the par 72 Karen Golf and Country Club from tomorrow morning.

The winner of the 72-hole competition will earn an automatic ticket to the 2013 Kenya Open Golf Limited Championship set for early next year.

According to Opati who currently leads the Golfer Of The Year (GOTY) standings with 84.60, predicts a tough tournament and said the Strokeplay Championship was the most vital tournament in the remaining four tournament’s in the GOTY series.

“There are only four tournaments remaining in the GOTY series and I believe this weekend’s Kenya Amateur Strokeplay Championship is the most important tournament, because the winner there would book an automatic ticket to next year’s Kenya Open Championship,” said Opati who plays off handicap +3.

He added: “I will be going for nothing less than the top prize. I have been playing good golf of late and I plan to make it count at Karen.”

The first round on Thursday will be 18-holes, while Friday the players will play 36-holes and Saturday the players will play 18-holes. ggdb ggdb

Tanzania’s Angel Eaton follows her tee shot during the 14th Diani Beach Masters at the Leisure Lodge Golf Club a week ago. She was crowned the Uganda Ladies Golf Open on Sunday.

By CORRESPONDENT

Tanzanian Angel Eaton was in sparking form, denying local hero Flavia Namakula a third straight Uganda Ladies Golf Open in the event that was spiced up by fashion at the Uganda Golf Club on Sunday.

Eaton’s nine-month stint at an academy in South Africa was evident when she took a two-stroke lead in the opening round, maintained it in the second and wrapped up the three-day event with an aggregate of 225 – four shots clear of compatriots Madina Idd and Hawa Wanyache.

The 22-year-old University of Dar-es-Salaam business management graduate finished nine shots clear of Namakula.

Eaton, who only managed to make the trip to Kampala after her grandparents Joyce and Pelle Svatvar secured funds, was overjoyed to become the first Tanzanian to win the Uganda Open.

“It was really tough winning here. My competitors kept up the pressure but my driving, chipping, and putting was good. My game changed a lot having trained in South Africa,” Eaton stated.

The 15-year-old Zambian Devanshi Naik was fifth in the tournament that saw Pauline Nambi, Brenda Ngabo and Kim Jung come top in the subsidiary groups A, B and C respectively.
While Uganda lost the trophy, this year’s edition of the Ladies Open saw the tournament dominated by youthful women who broke from the club tradition that restricts ladies to shorts not more two inches above the knees.

“This is an international event where women are free to show some style just like on the women’s tour. But we are not going to do the same in our local tournaments. We will probably get to a level where such style is permissible like in other countries,” Uganda Ladies Golf Union president Jasper Kamukama said. air max 90 pas cher air max 90 pas cher