5 nations for Zone Five tournament
A junior golfer trains at the Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club golf course as part of a special programme organised by the Tanzania Golf Union. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Tanzania Golf Union chairman Joseph Tango says each country will be represented by eight golfers and two officials and that TGU will bear the cost of their upkeep while in the country
Dar es Salaam. Five countries have confirmed their participation in the African Region Four (Zone Five) golf junior championships scheduled to be held from August 24 to 26 in Dar es Salaam.
They are Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda and hosts Tanzania Mainland, according to Tanzania Golf Union (TGU) chairman Joseph Tango. Earlier, the event was also expected to feature Sudan, Seychelles, Madagascar and Eritrea, who, however, pulled out.
Tango said the Ethiopian team would arrive on Saturday ready for the event. The team has decided to arrive early in order to acclimatise with conditions in the city.
Tango added that Rwanda would arrive on Monday, while Burundi and Kenya were due to arrive on Tuesday. The teams will stay at Peacock Hotel, which is the event sponsor.
“Preparations are complete. The teams will on August 23 train at the Dar es Salaam Gymkhana golf course ahead the opening round on the following day. Rounds two and three will take place on August 25 to be followed by the closing round on the following day.”
Tango said each country would be represented by eight golfers and two officials and that TGU would bear the cost of their upkeep while in the country. Tanzania’s final squad will be selected from among ten players forming the provisional national team.
Members of the provisional team are Jumanne Mbunda, Prosper Emmanuel, Richard Mtweve and Seif Mcharo (Lugalo TPDF Club); Jay Nathwani Jr and Pravin Sigh Jr (Arusha Gymkhana Club); Amani Saidi and Victor Joseph (Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club); Isaac Wanyenche (Kili Golf Club) and Abbas Adam (Moshi Club). The team was selected from among 21 golfers from across the country who competed in a qualifying three-day event.
The team is currently training at the tournament’s venue and will also make use of the Lugalo course to sharpen their skills ahead of the competition.
The ten-day training session is expected to end on August 21 and the team will be given a rest day before the tournament opens on August 24.
The team is under the tutelage of Hassan Kadio and Zimbabwean Furayi Chitengwa. The tournament’s format is match-play with singles on the opening day, then foursome and four-ball-better-ball before winding up with another round of singles.
