IT has been proved that a perfect choice for a man to lead the national junior golf junior teams to the Promised Land is professional golfer Athumani Chiundu from Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) Lugalo golf Club of Dar es Salaam.
The TPDF Lugalo pro, Chiundu was all but smile after being tasked to lead the national junior boys’ and girls’ teams ahead of the All-Africa Golf Junior Team Championship 2023.
The annual competition that brings together top African youth teams, is being organised by Uganda Golf Union (UGU) under the auspices of the Africa Golf Confederation (AGC) and is set to tee off from April 16th to 21st this year at the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort in Ugandan capital, Kampala.
Chiundu will lead a five-boy national team together with a three-girl national team in the Kampala mission.
The teams are dominated by Lugalo club players as two boys and three girls are from the club.
Chiundu, who had done a tremendous job by volunteering to run the Lugalo’s Juniors Foundation program in recent years, said he is ready to take the teams to the desired target.
“I am very happy, I feel blessed to take juniors teams at the high-level junior tour, it is my first time to undertake this national role,” he said.
Chiundu said he was impressed with Lugalo golfers; Karim Abdallah and Ramadhani Matinga and Dhluv Patadia from Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club (DGC).
Others in the squad are Ibrahim Mtemi of TPC Moshi, Kilimanjaro, and Aliabbas Kermalli from Arusha Gymkhana Club (AGC) whom he also labeled as very good players.
“We have a very good boys’ team, both players are fantastic, with two weeks of intensive training, I expect them to be well drilled,” he said.
The coach also named Shufaa Twalib, Sabrina Lukuli, and Juliana Peter as his key players in the girls’ team and he expects them to put the country into the spotlight in Kampala.
He said currently all players continue with off-camp training and are expected to pitch a residential camp in Arusha later on.
“We were waiting for the school holidays to start full programmes. We have started a two-course training programme for those who are in Dar es Salaam so as to give them vast exposure to different courses,” he said.
Additionally, the Honourary Secretary of TGU, Dickson Sika said over the weekend that preparation for the tournament is in top gear ahead of the Kampala assignment.
The top two boys’ teams and the winner in the girl’s category will qualify for the Toyota World Junior Championship to be held in Japan in June 2023.
