Wanyeche Takes Second-Round Lead as Eyes WAGR Points
By Staff Writer
Enoshi Wanyeche surged into the lead after a strong second-round performance at the 2026 Southern Highlands Open Golf Tournament, putting himself in pole position heading into Sunday’s final round at Mufindi Golf Club, in Iringa.
Representing Lugalo Golf Club, Wanyeche carded a second-round 73 to move to 10-over par after 36 holes, finishing on a two-round total of 152.
His performance lifted him from a share of second after the opening round to the top of the leaderboard.
Wanyeche had entered Saturday’s round four shots behind overnight leader Gandye Aldo and knew that the greens would be among the biggest challenges on the Mufindi course.
“The greens will be one of the biggest tests,” Wanyeche said after Friday’s opening round, highlighting the difficulty of putting and managing the surfaces as the championship moved into its second day.
Aldo, meanwhile, remained in contention after carding a second-round 78 to also finish on 14-over par, tied with Victor Joseph on 156.
Joseph, one of the tournament favourites from Dar-es-Salaam Gymkhana Club, produced a much-improved performance after struggling in the opening round.
The golfer started the championship in sixth place on 82 but responded with a second-round 74, an eight-stroke improvement that moved him into second place alongside Aldo.
Joseph told Royal Golf after the opening round that he had struggled on both the fairways and greens because he had not had enough practice time to familiarise himself with the course.
“I’m praying and hoping that tomorrow I’ll be able to recover, play better, and post a much better score,” Joseph said.
He delivered on that hope Saturday, cutting eight strokes from his opening-round score and putting himself firmly back in the title race.
Wanyeche now leads the field by four strokes, with Joseph and Aldo tied for second, while Michael Mtweve sits fourth on 157. Bashiri Mtweve is fifth on 162, followed by Ramadhan Yassin on 163.
With the championship entering its final round on Sunday, the leading players will be fighting not only for the Southern Highlands Open title but also for valuable ranking recognition.
This year’s tournament has received a significant boost after being included in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) calendar for the first time, adding international ranking significance to the three-day championship.
The Southern Highlands Open runs from August 21 to 23 and is being played over 54 holes, attracting leading amateur golfers from across Tanzania.
Mufindi Golf Club captain Yokonia Chaula said the staging of this year’s event had been made possible through the support of Mufindi Wood Poles Plant & Timber, S7 Construction, METL Group, Kokomoyo, Runvesco Aluminium, Browns Plantations, Chinatown Supermarket and Mweme Company.
Alongside the main championship, subsidiary competitions are being held for Division B and Division C golfers, as well as ladies, seniors and juniors, with those categories competing over 36 holes.
*LEADERBOARD*
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