Otile to skip pros Open
Otile will be missed at the Professionals after his impressive display at the Amateurs three weeks. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO
What you need to know:
Golf. Uganda Golf Union targets 100 pros for Open which will tee off on Wednesday, August 31.
KAMPALA. The question of whether Ronald Otile will take part in the Tusker Malt Professional Open has freely swung like a pendulum within the golf fraternity.
The South Africa-based player came to Kampala and ably beat the field by five strokes to defend his Amateur Open title from August 10-13.
At that closing ceremony, the fraternity led by businessman John Kato anticipated Otile’s return here to mingle with the pros for the imminent four-day showpiece.
But three weeks later, Otile will not be part of the field when the pros tee-off at the par-72 course in Kitante on Wednesday.
“We would have loved to have him here again but his school schedule cannot allow him to return here,” Uganda Golf Union (UGU) President Johnson Omollo told Daily Monitor yesterday.
In 2015, Otile became the first man in the Open history to win on both Amateur and Pro fronts. More of the same had been hope for.
“Nope, it was cancelled,” Otile said via phone from University of Pretoria about appearing at the Pros Open. “I will only return to Kampala in December.”
Irrespective a field of 76 professionals from nine countries had registered for the Open with UGU by closure of business on Wednesday.
The cast for 11th edition has 26 home-based players led by inaugural champion Deo Akope, and national coach Amos Kamya.
Also, about 30 Kenyans including two-time winner Dismas Indiza and Stefan Anderson, who came second at the just-concluded Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament at Arabella Country Estate in South Africa, will battle for the Shs110m kitty.
Last year’s kitty winner Zambian Madalitso Muthiya leads a group from the Sunshine and MENA Tours. Florida-based South African Seale Johnson, ranked 1835 in the world, is another face to watch.
On Wednesday, Stanbic Bank joined Tusker, Etihad Airways, Kampala Cement, NTV Uganda, HTC Hub and Case Medical Centre as sponsors.
There will be a Sheraton Hotel-sponsored Pro-Am event on Tuesday.
TUSKER MALT UGANDA PRO OPEN
TOURNAMENT DETAILS
Pro-Am: August 30
Pros Open: August 31 - Sep. 3
Venue: Par-72 Kitante course
Expected field: 100
CAST OF WINNERS
2006: Deo Akope (UGA)
2007: Dismas Indiza (KEN)
2008: Dismas Indiza (KEN)
2009: Richard Ainley (KEN)
2010: Jean B. Hakizimana (RWA)
2011: Dismas Indiza (KEN)
2012: Dismas Indiza (KEN)
2013: Vincent Byamukama (UGA)
2014: Deo Akope (UGA)
2015: Ronald Otile (UG- as guest)
