Jean Baptiste Hakizimana yesterday made his first remarks about professional golf since his move into the paid ranks back in August. The former number one amateur golfer turned pro in August, becoming only the second professional golfer in the country’s golf history after Emmanuel Ruterana, who broke the jinx last year in February. Hakizimana, who initially hoped for swift progress has since competed in three tournaments; Mbarara Barclays Open, Uganda Open and Ladies Open but with no notable performance. The MTN sponsored golfer now thinks his slight adjustments in his swing could be the cause of his slow progress. While on a one-week tour to South Africa, Hakizimana was advised to make some adjustments on his swing and although the transition seems to be affecting his performance, he is very optimistic about the future. “Many professional golfers go through it so I’m not bothered. All I need to do is to have more and more practice,” Hakizimana reckoned. “Ruterana successfully went through it and I’m positive I will do the same. I’m doing a lot more practice than I should be because I want to get more comfortable with the new swing,” he added. Hakizimana and Ruterana are now targeting this year’s Rwanda Open. Ruterana won last year’s edition but the BCR sponsored golfers knows that it will be a lot tougher this year. Ends
