Grace “Woods” Kasango, will be one of the players to watch at the opening leg of POA tour this week at Entebbe Club. PHOTO @underpar_Ug

Entebbe, Uganda | PHILLIP CORRY | Top Ugandan professional and elite golfers are perfecting their swings and putting shots ahead of Season 2 of the Pearl of Africa tour set for the next four days. Action for the elite amateurs is set for April 1-3, while the professionals tee off April 2-4.

For starters East Africa’s oldest golf facility will get the season opener from April 1-4 with the tour moving to Lugazi Hills Golf and Country Club from June 24-27th and the third leg being held at the Uganda Golf Club from July 15-18th.

This year’s edition is bigger and better, with an increment on the kitty for the professionals from Sh10 million to Sh27 million. The elite amateur golfers have a prize kitty of 5 million for the top 6.

As the series grows organically, the plan is to attract local and regional professionals to compete for a kitty that is expected to grow with every passing year. The tour aims to elevate the professionals’ golf ecosystem in Uganda to international level.

Grace Kasango, fresh from finishing second in the Kilelesi Golf Series at Uganda Golf Club (UGC) in Kitante, is eagerly looking forward to the competition. “I can’t wait,” the soft-spoken golfer noted. “I have been putting really well and if I can replicate what I have been doing lately, I will give myself chance. The POA Series are timely because we need each and every event to maintain our mindsets in the competitive frame of professional golfers,” he added.

This week’s Entebbe POA Series has been supported by Exim Bank, Uganda Golf Union (UGU), Vivo Energy, Aquafina, Home Bliss, MTN and Case Medical Services. It is anticipated that more partners will be unveiled in due course.