On Saturday (June 29th), close to 200 golfers took to the greens at the Entebbe Club, to participate in the second round of the I&M Bank Katogo Golf Series.
This particular edition fell just a day after the series’ main sponsor- I&M Bank celebrated their 50th anniversary, at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
As such, the organisers turned the 19th hole into an extension of the I&M Bank golden jubilee celebrations.
After his speech, Edward Kabuchu, the Katogo Series and Entebbe Club Trustee, proposed a toast to I&M Bank upon their golden jubilee milestone. Kabuchu highlighted that I&M Bank’s participation in the game of golf is an indicator that it’s a community and customer-centric institution, which has ensured its longevity as a business.
From the greens, Team Slayers of Gods, and The Sharks, emerged victors of the second edition of the I&M Bank Katogo Golf series 2024, under the Men and Women’s categories respectively.
Slayers of Gods consisted of Edward Kabuchu, and the series Vice Captain- Andrew Kibaya.
The pair were equally shocked that they managed to post a net team score of 64, the day’s best score in the Men’s category. The Slayers of Gods were seeded against ‘The Gods’ team, that comprised of Katogo patron- Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka aka KK, and the series Captain Elly Kibuuka Mukasa aka Sober.
In the ladies’ category, Team Sharks, that comprised of Ruth Akello and Juliana Ichabala, posted the winning net team score of 63.
The winning teams received air tickets from tournament partners- RwandAir, to fly to any destination that the airline flies to.
“We are shocked as everyone here is that we’re on the podium as the winning team. My tee shots were really bad, but I was good at finishing, so we complimented each other well with my partner- Andrew, because he had very good tee shots. And here we are, we’re the winners of the second round of the Katogo series,” Kabuchu said amidst cheers and laughter.
As a continuation of their golden jubilee celebrations CSR activities, I&M Bank handed over a cheque worth Shs20m, towards supporting caddies and the course maintenance staff.
“The resources will strictly be used to support the school-going caddies, to help them stay in school, as well as the children of the caretakers of the course, who are mostly women. They will receive school fees for at least the next three years,” said Kibaya, the series Vice Captain.
I&M Bank CEO said that the bank decided to support the cause because it perfectly aligns with their CSR pillars of enabling giving, conserving the environment, and education.
“This symbolizes our commitment towards supporting the communities where we operate, especially women,” Bairstow added.
I&M Bank Group CEO, Kihara Maina participated in the tournament, and was paired with former Uganda Golf Club Captain- Emmanuel Wamala.
“It’s been an exciting day on the course, we really enjoyed our round. I am glad to be here,” Kihara said, adding, “It was such an excellent idea to follow up the I&M@50 celebrations with a round of golf, with our clients and partners. We are happy to sponsor one of the biggest golf tournaments in Uganda, and we are committed to being part of this for a very long time,.”
The second leg of the series adopted the ‘Tee for Me’ format, which saw players pairing up, and while each player teed off at each hole, the pair was allowed to switch balls for their second shot, on a total of 12 holes.
Among other winners of the day were Jenina Nasimolo and Moureen Nassimolo, of Team Nasy, as well as Team Dominion, consisting of Rukia Nalwoga and Pamela Tumusiime, who were the runners up in the ladies’ category.
Team Hozambee of Louis Tumukunde and Richard Mugisha, as well as Northern Connect, comprising of Morgan Otile and Herbert Opolot, were runners up in the Men’s category.
The event that was hosted by comedian Salvado, featured performances from Kenneth Mugabi, Myko Ouma, and Sewa Sewa, who jointly put up an amazing live show.
The highlight of the night was Ugandan born music sensation Charlie King, who got everyone on their feet, as he serenaded some of his old school RnB and Soul jams like Please Dont Talk to Jesica, Aint Gona Be Jamaica, Mumpenzi, and many more.
The I&M Bank Katogo Golf Series is co-sponsored by GA Insurance, NBS Sport, Timecop Security, Fenon Records, and Goldman Furniture, and will return for a penultimate round that will be played under the ‘Russian Chicago Stableford’ format, on Saturday September 28th.
