Golfers shine in Bujumbura

Kigali Golf Club has maintained its dominance at the annual Bujumbura Open. The club dominated the three-day tournament after sweeping over 60 percent of the overall prizes.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Kigali Golf Club has maintained its dominance at the annual Bujumbura Open. The club dominated the three-day tournament after sweeping over 60 percent of the overall prizes.

Rwanda’s top amateur golfer Jean Baptiste Hakizimana led the club’s surge after finishing second; one shot behind Burundi’s Serge Muheto in the top category.

Hakizimana who is on the verge of turning pro struggled on the rugged course like all the other golfers scoring 233 net; five shots ahead of KGC’s vice captain Steven Katwiremu who finished third in the top category.

"As the scores indicate, we struggled on the course because it was not in very good condition. But I’m still happy to end my amateur career on a high. I was chasing for the top spot but second is still good enough,” a contended Hakizimana told Times Sport.

Other leading performers for Rwanda included KGC’s newly elected president Jack Kayonga, Taib wa Taibu and Phillip Jacob.

Upon the team’s return on Sunday, Katwiremu who headed the KGC delegation hailed the golfers for putting up a good show and cementing the club’s dominance.

"It is now over eight years since we started competing in the Bujumbura Open. Like the previous years, we still came top this year and we want to maintain that run in the future,” Katwiremu excitedly said.

"It was not easy this time round because of the conditions but credit goes to all KGC golfers who managed to adjust to those conditions,” he added.

Ends