Tanzania finishes 5th at the 2024 AACT in Morocco

MOROCCO: THE Tanzania ladies’ golf team fought hard to secure an overall fifth position at the 2024 All Africa Challenge Trophy (AACT), held at the Tazegzout Golf Club in Agadir, Morocco, over the weekend.

Competing against 20 nations in the 54-hole, three-day competition, Tanzania recorded a total of 476 strokes, narrowly finishing one stroke behind 4th-placed Uganda (475) and far from 3rd-placed Kenya (439).

The three East African Community (EAC) teams performed strongly, all placing within the top five.

The Tanzanian team, captained by Hawa Wanyeche and featuring Neema Olomi and Madina Iddi, showcased their skill and determination throughout the tournament but found the going tough.

Each team consisted of three players, with the best two individual scores from each round contributing to the team’s total.

Tanzania carded 161 strokes on day one, 157 on day two and closed with 158 strokes on the final day.

The 16th edition of the AACT, Africa’s premier women’s golf competition, saw Morocco claim the title with 425 strokes, edging out second-placed South Africa (427).

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This marked a historic victory for Morocco as hosts of the biannual tournament, which was established in 1992 to promote and develop women’s golf across the continent.

Tanzania’s Neema Olomi led the team, finishing 8th in the individual standings with a total score of 236. Her teammates, Madina Iddi and Hawa Wanyeche, placed 14th and 17th, scoring 241 and 250, respectively, in a field of 60 players.

In individual honours, Morocco’s 15-year-old Sofia Cherif Essakali claimed the title with an exceptional score of 204 (-12), followed by South Africa’s Kesha Louw (210) and Lisa Coetzer (217).

Tanzania’s performance this year follows their impressive 3rd-place finish at the 2022 AACT in Dar es Salaam, where they scored a total of 455 behind champions South Africa (444) and runners-up Morocco (449).

The final team standings saw Zimbabwe in 6th place with 481 strokes, followed by Zambia at 7th 509 (172, 169,168), and 8th: Egypt, at 509 (163, 173,173). Botswana (512) and Tunisia (515) rounded out the top 10, while Mauritius finished 11th with 532 strokes.

Other final results include: 12th: Nigeria (536), 13th: Rwanda (554), 14th: Ghana (565), 15th: Côte d’Ivoire (575), 16th: Namibia (582), 17th: Gabon (603), 18th: Togo (607), 19th: Cameroon (680) and Angola at bottom 770 strokes.