Score to settle

Originally scheduled to be held in August, the 2020 Tusker Malt Uganda Open Golf Championships with belatedly see the light of day at the back end of the year after the tourney’s official launch last week.

The official tee-off is scheduled for today as the last formality to the 70th Uganda Ladies Open that gets underway today at the par-72 Uganda Golf Club (UGC) Kitante course that will be played as a 54-hole strokeplay event. Martha Babirye will have to square off with Entebbe’s ‘daughter-of-the-soil’ Irene Nakalembe for the biggest prize in Uganda.

This year’s ladies event poised to be an all-Ugandan affair after Uganda Golf Union (UGU) excessively worked their socks off to ensure the coveted showpiece happens at whatever cost, the event will not be short of thrills and spills.

All Ugandan affair
“It was always going to be hard for the foreign legion ladies to come. You know they have to do their ‘Harambees’ (solicit) for funds to make such trips abroad for tournaments. And the Covid-19 pandemic made it hard as we could only confirm the tournament dates at the 11th hour,” said Tournament Director John Katto.

 Such is the set ground, it leaves those who will follow proceedings especially those in the privilleged gallery a chance to watch two friendly foes Babirye and Nakalembe settle their silent scores on a Kitante course that is poised to play differently because of the its recent upgrade and current wet weather.

Outsider vs Insider
Nakalembe has won everything that there is on the local scene bar the Uganda Open with her six Entebbe Ladies Open crowns standing out as the top highlight. 

Her close shave misses at the Open have equally heart-breaking including thrice when she lost by less than three strokes. 
For long she was in the shadow of celebrated Flavia Namakula and when the latter turned professional, Nakalembe justifiably became the fans’ favourite.

And yet 24-year-old Babirye, Lugazi-born and Jinja-bred, literally came out of the blue and popped Nakalembe’s party. She stole the limelight on her first visit of Kampala to play in the prestigious Open in 2017. She picked up lots of silverware in the ‘Major’ events on the UGU calendar events at upcountry clubs prior and turned up at Kitante in good shape.

The former cricketer, who had her twin brother in tow as a caddie, gave the elite foreign legion a run for their monies in the pressure group and was the nation’s hope to reclaim the title only for her to crumble and finish seventh on the decisive day. 

Still the media saluted her effort by crowning her Uspa Female Golfer of the Year. 

Last Wednesday, she picked up her second Uspa gong - two special gongs that remain amiss in Nakalembe’s packed-to-the-rafters trophy-cabin.

“I don’t know,” handicap 4 golfer Babirye, the reigning champion, answered when asked whether she feels she hasn’t been celebrated enough by the golfing fraternity.

“Me and Irene are not enemies. She is even my captain on the national team. When I won last year, she congratulated me because it was also Uganda’s win. But we are different people with different styles and it is normal for people to choose who they support. It will be interesting this time with a full Ugandan playing field.”

No love lost
But there is no love lost for Nakalembe. She vividly knows the monkey is on her back and there is no running away from her own misgivings.

“Don’t even go there. I have already cast those demons and the timing is right for me to win my first Uganda Open title,” said handicap 3 Nakalembe while quickly putting a lid on talk that her career could fade into oblivion with her never ever notching Uganda’s ‘Major’.

On Babirye, she said; “That is my young sister and there is no doubt she will start as one of the top favourites. But I am confident this time. The course is playable despite the rains thanks to the work done by the UGC committee. Some of us had given up that the Open will not happen this year. But I have a good feeling that we will all play well.”

And as Nakalembe goes for her ninth attempt at winning the Open, Babirye will be hoping she is second time lucky in only her fifth outing.