‘Bad Boy’ Mwesigwa wants better image

Portuguese Stephen Ferreira and runner-up Dismas Indiza were in an extraordinary league as both’s final aggregates were under after 72 holes of play at the 12th Tusker Malt Uganda Professionals Golf Open that climaxed on September 30.
Ferreira’s finish of seven-under, is arguably, the best-ever finish in the history of the Open and it can only be compared to four-time winner Kenyan Indiza, who finished four-under overall and managed to play under 72 in three of his four rounds.
And to imagine Day One and Two leader Indiza could have dropped even further down the leaderboard, one has got to credit Ugandan golf’s forgotten son Brian Mwesigwa.
The homeboy finished third after returning level-par 288 gross to emerge as Uganda’s best.
Poor final kick
Mwesigwa received special applause from the big gallery, in particular, for the birdie-putt on the treacherous par-4 No.15 fitting named ‘Luwero Triangle’ but there was some pain deep down in his heart after all the merry-making at the 19th hole.
“It was not a bad outing,” Mwesigwa told SCORE after carding a total 15 birdies, nine bogeys, four double-bogeys and an eagle in rounds of 71, 73, 71 and 73 over the four days. “I feel good although all I wanted was to win this (tournament). I won it as an amateur and my dream was to lift it as a professional.”
Going into oblivion
Mwesigwa rose to the limelight with the Amateur Open title in 2010 before he turned pro later that year. But a spate of misfortune and self-destruction saw him go into oblivion.
From being the darling of Uganda Golf Club (UGC) Kitante, Mwesigwa’s name went on to form literally everyone’s hate speech as he partly connived to do everything wrong from the course to life off it.
“I have made cuts before. I know my golf. But competition rules had me disqualified in the third round of the 2015 edition because I picked up my phone during play,” the man nicknamed ‘Ka-50’, in relation to the time of his earlier days as an Artisan member of Kabale Sports Club when he would beg for only Shs5,000 from any member when he had a problem to sort out, relived the bad old memory.
“People started labelling me all types of bad things. Silently I went soul searching for a fresh life. People didn’t notice.
“But I came back and started to work on the course, showed more hunger to earn a decent living and played more practice rounds. So from then on, my heart changed and I vowed to win the Open as a pro. I wanted to win the Open after playing the course under.
“And although my return on Day Two wasn’t bad, it made me lose some hope because it was one-over.” When Uganda Professional Golfers Association (UPGA) patron Dr Sam Ssejjaaka spoke during the prize giving ceremony, he ‘jokingly’ stated that Mwesigwa had used a golf set that is 17-years-old.

Major hopes
The Kabale-bred player prays he can have better equipment and hopefully win the ‘Major’ very soon – hopefully at the next edition.
“My woods and irons were a talking point for many foreign professionals. They were wondering how I used them to great effect yet they were old. They (Ferreira & Joshua Seale) even took pictures of my golf kit. I amazed them by my skill levels,” explained Mwesigwa, who earned at least Shs10m. Professor Anthony Kerali, the former captain of UGC who gave Mwesigwa a job as one of the caretakers of the Kitante course two years ago, also promised him Shs10m for his third-place finish. “Some people like Uga Rose Flowers, Stanley Mulumba and Dr. Kezaala who got me the clubs I used have been kind to me over the years. I am now praying to God that I get a sponsor who will help me with modern clubs and wedges used by real professionals.”

Good representation
There were three Ugandans in the top 10 with Lake Victoria Serena Kigo-sponsored Fred Wanzala tied in fourth place with Kenyan David Wakhu on 289 gross.
Then Deo Akope could not replicate his Day One score of 69, the two-time champion returning 77, 73 and 71 to finish joint sixth with 2016 champion Seale, on two-over-par 290.

UGANDA PROFESSIONALS OPEN

UGANDANS THAT MADE THE CUT
3 Brian Mwesigwa (UGA) 71 73 71 73 288
T4 Fred Wanzala (UGA) 75 71 72 71 289
T6 Deo Akope (UGA) 69 77 73 71 290
T12 Phillip Kasozi (UGA) 71 79 73 71 294
T12 Herman Mutawe (UGA) 73 76 71 74 294
T15 Saidi Mawa (UGA) 80 72 71 72 295
T19 Vincent Byamukama (UGA) 78 73 77 72 300
T22 Brian Toolit (UGA) 79 74 76 73 302
T22 Opio Onito (UGA) 76 77 75 74 302
T22 Denis Anguyo (UGA) 77 76 74 75 302
T22 Peter Sendawula (UGA) 74 75 77 76 302
39 George Olayo (UGA) 76 77 77 77 307
T37 Gerald Kabuye (UGA) 78 75 75 78 306
40 Gideon Kagyenzi (UGA) 75 78 78 79 310
41 Grace Ocici Onito (UGA) 73 78 79 82 312