Odokonyero, Kitata take top accolades at Eskom Open

Day One leader Abbey Bagalana, despite having good knowledge of the Jinja course, collapsed and finished 11th.

National amateur star Willy Deus Kitata showed immense recovery skills with a closing round of 73 to win the Eskom Golf Open by two strokes at the challenging nine-hole Jinja Golf Club (JGC) course on Friday.

Kitata had started with a below par score of 76 on Day One (Thursday) but he found his groove when it mattered most to finish with an aggregate of 149.

“I was a little upset and I almost gave up when I carded 76 in the first round,” said the 24-year-old after he subjected Adolf Muhumuza, Joseph Mawejje and Peter Ssendawula to joint second on 151. “But I never wanted to give in easily. After a good sleep at night, the pressure was off me and I enjoyed my game.

Even my opponents who thought I wasn’t in contention were shocked in the end.” Elsewhere, the homeboys dictated the professionals category with as Ian Odokonyero (145) winning.