Kenyan star Naliaka hits day 1 par 72 in ladies open

By William Muwonge and Douglas Mazune Day One leader board R. Naliaka (Ken) 72 gross C. Lwanga (Ug) 81 R. Muthemba (Ken) 83 M. Ntege (Ug) 86 M. Muthega (Ken) 88 KENYAN star Rose Naliaka sounded a warning to Uganda’s best players by hitting level par 72 as the Uganda amateur Ladies Open started yesterday. But Naliaka, praised for the good start on the Kitante course, was not happy herself. “My game was not so good, I did not get as many birdies as I expected,” she said. She added: “Tomorrow (today) I will go for a kill, I will hit the ball hard, even if it means going out of bounds.” The legendary golfer fired a birdie on number 1 and 12. But the leader dropped a shot on number 3 and 9. The 54-hole strokeplay competition that drew players from Uganda and Kenya is sponsored by Caltex Uganda. The widely travelled Naliaka, chasing a third title after 1993/94 wins, established an unassailable nine-stroke lead on top of being the only player who completed day one unscathed. The leader’s local rivals were well below the mark and will have to work a little hard to stop her. Cecilia Lwanga was Uganda’s best player at 81 and Monica Ntege (left) at 85. Five other Ugandans and four Kenyans out of eight who entered the event occupy the top ten positions. Alice Kego, eight time event winner, was ninth overall at 90 just like Alice Owori. Today’s action starts at 11.40am four hours after a 36-hole medal event for men tees off. At the sametime, Entebbe Golf Club hosts a two-day JBG Gauff event from today. ENDS