Rugumayo shoots 67 for two-shot Open lead

Ronald Rugumayo relies on one famous quote from legend American Tiger Woods ahead of every golf competition: “There’s no sense in going to a tournament if you don’t believe that you can win it.”

And indeed, Rugumayo is meaning every sense of it at the 18th Johnnie Walker Uganda Professionals Golf Open at par-72 Uganda Golf Club (UGC) course in Kitante. 

Bogey-free golf

He, on Wednesday, set early pace at the 72-hole championship after he fired a bogey-free opening round of five-under 67 to lead the Open by two shots after a rain-hit day.

“It was tough,” relaxed and confident, Rugumayo told the press after a round which had five birdies on Holes par-5s No.1, No.5 and No.8, par-4 No.10 and par-3 No.4.

“The course was tough. Personally, I was okay because I have been playing in tougher conditions than this,” said the Fort Portal-bred player, who is currently competing on the Sunshine Tour, Blue Label Development Tour and the Altron Big Easy in Southern Africa.

Yet, the 2017 Uganda Amateur Open champion Rugumayo felt he could have more. “I was somehow robbed; it should have been a much better start than this. I missed so many putts, hitting 18 greens in regulation and you convert only five? At this level?” he pondered.

Emulating Kabasweka, Nsubuga

With 54 holes to play, Rugumayo wants to only maintain his lead in the quest for the Shs100m kitty here, just like Ladies Open and Amateur Open champions Peace Kabasweka and Godfrey Nsubuga respectively have done over the past fortnight at UGC. “I am not happy with my putting. I will do much better than today (yesterday). I plan for the same routine, I have to go home and have enough rest. There’s nothing much I am going to change,” the player managed by Peter Mujuni added.

Rugumayo is closely followed by three men tied of three-under 69 comprising Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera who had five birdies, four bogeys and sweet eagle on the eighth green.

Incomplete rounds

Another is Indian Ocean coast-based Ugandan David Kamulindwa who also had an eagle on the eighth green but his four birdies were fragmented by a bogey par-4 Hole No.7 and then a double-bogey on the par-4 12th green.

Namibian Paulino Kasoma is also three-under but he is among the 12 players from three groups who played only 15 holes and did not complete their rounds due to bad light after the morning rain disrupted the draw.

These groups will compete their Day One rounds first before work to make the cut in full Day Two rounds. National Council of Sports, Absa Bank, NBS Sport, Medipal, Pinnacle Security Limited, CASE Medical Services, Orchard Interiors, HH, Uganda Golf Club, and the title sponsors Johnnie Walker are sponsoring the tournament.