Rugumayo lead reduced to one shot on Day Two

Ugandan Ronald Rugumayo had his lead at the 18th Johnnie Walker Uganda Professionals Golf Open halved to a shot despite him shooting three-under 69 on Day Two at the par-72 Uganda Golf Club (UGC) on Thursday.

Rugumayo insists he is not about to change his game plan despite the rest of pack led by Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera closing in on him at half-way stage of the 72-hole championship that has a Shs100m kitty. He was nonetheless still happy to be in lead with an aggregate eight-under after 36 holes. “I am still okay with three-under,” he said after scoring five birdies on par-5 Holes No.1, No.3, No.5, No.8 and No.13.

He was lucky the heavy rain at midday found him waiting to cross Acacia Avenue onto Hole No.1. “I was lucky by the time it started raining, I had finished my first nine,” the Fort Portal-bred player said before explaining his woes.

He had bogeys on par-4 Holes No.7 and No.18. “I putted well but I missed a few greens. I think I did everything right but at two holes, I swung badly. I three-putted on No.18 then on No.7, it was a good bogey because the tee-shot was bad, I also chipped badly.”

Personal goals

“I am not playing against anyone. I am against the course and my targets I have set for this event,” he added. Rugumayo is closely followed by Nsanzuwera who shot 68 to move to seven-under overall after sinking two birdies on Holes No.5 and No.13 and a second straight eagle on par-5 Hole No.8.

Rugumayo and Indian Ocean coast-based David Kamulindwa are the two Ugandans chasing glory and hopefully, hoping to end a nine-year wait for a Pro Open champion from Uganda.

Kamulindwa shot 69 comprising six birdies, five bogeys and an eagle one No.1 to move to six-under in third place. He will form the pressure group with Nsanzuwera and Rugumayo today.

Meanwhile, Day Two’s best score came from record five-time Open champion Kenyan Dismas Indiza, who shot five-under 67 consisting of four birdies, an eagle on the 13th green and a bogey on par-4 15th green.

Indiza is tied fourth on five-under with Namibian Pauline Kasoma and Kenyan Njoroge Kibugu, who is also managed by Peter Mujuni. The cut at +2 left only 34 players, 12 of them Ugandans including Amateur Open champion Godfrey Nsubuga and runner-up Ibrahim Bagalana.

18TH JOHNNIE WALKER UGANDA PROFESSIONALS GOLF OPEN

DAY TWO LEADERBOARD

1 Ronald Rugumayo (UGA)              67 69 136 -8

2 Celestin Nsanzuwera (RWA)          69 68 137 -7

3 David Kamulindwa (UGA)             69 69 138 -6

T4 Paulino Kasoma (NAM)                70 69 139 -5

T4 Njoroge Kibugu (KEN)                 70 69 139 -5

T4 Dismas Indiza (KEN)                    72 67 139 -5

7 Samuel Chege (KEN)                      71 69 140 -4

T8 Daniel Nduva (KEN)                    72 69 141 -3

T8 Adolf Muhumuza (UGA)              70 71 141 -3

T10 Visitor Mapwanya (ZIM)            73 69 142 -2

T10 Phillip Kasozi (UGA)                  73 69 142 -2

T10 Silver Opio (UGA)                      74 68 142 -2