TPDF Lugalo hailed as TPC golfer sparkles

THE Deputy Minister of Culture, Arts and Sports Hamisi Mwinjuma has complimented Tanzania People’s Defense Force (TPDF) Lugalo Golf Club of Dar es Salaam for opening the door for the public to fully participate in golf in the event whose overall winner was Ali Isanzu.

Climaxed over the weekend at TPDF Lugalo Club course, this year’s tournament saw the TPC Club golfer,Isanzu working hard to beat his closest challenger Michael Masawe in the playoff after the duo tied with aggregates of 149 strokes after the end of 36 holes of the two-day national level tournament.

Organised by the Tanzania Golf Union (TGU) in collaboration with Lugalo the event saw the duo go for the playoff at hole no. 9 per-3 to determine the champion, and Isanzu went on to beat his opponent with a bird while Masawe got a par.

Mwinjuma who represented the Minister for Information, Communication, and Information Technology, Nape Nnauye as chief guest said, Lugalo has done a good job in cooperating with the public in terms of the sport.

“Lugalo chairman has told me that many of the players in the club are not members of the armed forces, so it means that the army has provided an important opportunity for the public to use its facilities for the benefit of individual players and the nation as a whole. That is something to be commended,” he said.

He said though golf equipment seems to be expensive, he thought children would be forgotten and the adults would enjoy themselves and use the facility for networking only, but Lugalo junior players have been given priority in the free training programme which is the best and correct way to push this game forward.

“I would like to assure your club that the government will continue to support you and give the necessary assistance within our rich to push forward the development agenda. We promise to make the game more popular too,” he said.

Club’s Chairman Michael Luwongo thanked NBC Bank for sponsoring the tournament as well as continuing to promote the game.

For his part, NBC Bank’s Major Clients and Government Director James Mectaron said they are happy to have the opportunity to sponsor major golf tournaments for three years in a row at the club, emphasizing that the bank’s goal is to promote the sports sector countrywide.

Lugalo club dominated other categories as Omari Shabani won the Junior players’ title, Lugalo Ladies Captain Hawa Wanyeche won the ladies’ title and Vicky Elias finished second.

The Division C the title went to Boniface Japhet, while the winner of Division B  was Nsajigwa Mwansasu, and in Division A winner title went to Samuel Kileo.