Serwano Walusimbi in action
John Paul Basabose was a lone ranger in Saturday’s first round of this year’s Singleton Match Play Challenge after his partner Andrew Baguma informed him he wouldn’t be in the country for last Saturday’s round.
It meant that Basabose, a former national team player, had to take on Dr William Esuma and Anne Abeja on his own. Basabose drew first blood by taking the opening two holes in an early statement of intent. He was the back marker, playing off scratch while Dr Esuma and Abeja competed off handicap 9 for the day.
The latter two found their bearings in the middle holes but after Abeja squandered a chance to win it on hole 18, it meant that the duel had to be settled in a playoff. The light was beginning to dim but that didn’t stop a sizeable gallery to follow the three players on hole 1.
Basabose teed off first and blocked his shot to the right; he never quite recovered from that problem. Eventually, he holed out for bogey, just like Esuma and Abeja. But Basabose lost the hole by virtue of his opponents have a stroke on that par 5.
“Basabase is a tough customer,” a relieved Abeja remarked after prevailing in the playoff. “The guy was playing alone but gave us all sorts of
problems; he is quite formidable.”
Some of the other pairings that advanced to the second round of the qualifiers are Kiryowa Kiwanuka/Elly ‘Sober’ Mukasa, Simon HectorOcen/Mark Namanya, Peter Magona/Serwano Walusimbi, Dr TwinemanziTumubweine/Robbins Mwebaire and Michael Monne/Henry Saka.
Round two of the qualifiers will be played on August 26. This weekend at the par-71 Entebbe Golf Club will be the Entebbe Monthly Tee.
Source: The Observer
Share this content: