Flavia Namakula regarded hole 15 at Entebbe Golf Club as her favourite until it tormented her when she needed it most in the Uganda Ladies Open last weekend.
Flavia Namakula
The 2010-2011 champion, who has twice lost the Uganda Open to her close Tanzanian friend Angel Eaton, this time attributed her defeat to a dismal performance on the par 5 hole 15.
“I had my issues with the broken putter which distracted me before the event but I lost this tournament on No.15 on Friday. It has been my favourite on which I always get birdies but I was surprised to hit 11 shots there. That was the turning point in this tournament,” Namakula lamented.
Namakula’s woes on the 15th started with a tee shot which landed in the rough and she grappled with several futile attempts in a bid to return to the fairways – taking 11 shots to finally sink in the ball.
Namakula, who finished eight strokes behind Eaton, turned in an impressive 74, the tournament’s best score, on the final day. It could have been better if she had not picked up a bogey on the same hole.
“On the last day when I got to that hole I became nervous. I always get on the green in just two shots but that wasn’t the case this time. I bogeyed that Hole 15. I am still in shock. I have got to overcome that anxiety soon,” she stated.
By Douglas Mazune, The New Vision
