Wanyeche, Elias Speak Out After Challenging Opening Round
By Staff Writer
Enoshi Wanyeche believes the greens will be one of the biggest tests as the 2026 Southern Highlands Open Golf Tournament enters its second round at Mufindi Golf Club.
Wanyeche, who finished the opening round tied for second, four shots behind leader Gandye Aldo, said the condition of the greens presented the biggest challenge during Friday's play.
“Honestly, the biggest challenge for me is the greens. I think efforts are currently underway to improve them,” Wanyeche said.
While Wanyeche remains in contention, Vicky Elias had a more difficult opening round, finishing eighth in the Championship category after carding an 84.
Elias, the only woman competing in the Championship category, said uncertainty over which tee she was supposed to play from affected her game, particularly during the first nine holes.
“The course is good; there is no problem with it. However, what affected my game, especially in the first nine, was that after hitting my first shot on hole number one, I was repeatedly told to play from different tees—sometimes from the men’s tee and sometimes from the ladies’ tee,” she said.
Elias said the confusion disrupted her rhythm, although she was able to settle down and produce a stronger performance on the back nine.
“That is where my game started to suffer. However, I played well in the second nine, and my expectation is to perform even better tomorrow,” she said.
She added that the golf captain eventually instructed her to play from the ladies' tee.
Despite ending the day in eighth place, Elias remains optimistic about climbing the leaderboard and has set her sights on a top-five finish.
“God willing, if I wake up safely tomorrow, I will move up the standings—I’m aiming to finish in the top five,” she said.
At the top of the leaderboard, Aldo of Lugalo Golf Club leads after carding a four-over-par 75 in the opening round.
Bashiri Mtweve of Mufindi Golf Club and Wanyeche are tied for second on 79, four shots behind Aldo. Michael Mtweve of Mufindi Golf Club and Lugalo's Ramadhan Yassin share fourth place on 81.
Among tournament favorite Victor Joseph of Dar-es-Salaam Gymkhana Club is sixth on 82, while Meshaki Ngongolo of Mufindi Golf Club is seventh on 83.
Joseph said: “I struggled quite a bit today on the fairways and greens because I didn’t get enough practice to familiarize myself with the course.
" I’m praying and hoping that tomorrow I’ll be able to recover, play better, and post a much better score.”
The Southern Highlands Open, which runs from August 21 to 23, is a three-day, 54-hole national championship attracting golfers from across Tanzania.
This year's tournament has received a major boost after being included in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) for the first time.
The recognition gives elite amateur golfers an opportunity to earn internationally recognised ranking points and strengthen their pathway into the global amateur golf system.
Mufindi Golf Club Captain Yokonia Chaula described the WAGR inclusion as a significant milestone for both the tournament and the club.
Chaula also thanked Mufindi Wood Poles Plant & Timber, S7 Construction, METL Group, Kokomoyo, Runvesco Aluminium, Browns Plantations, Chinatown Supermarket and Mweme Company for supporting this year's tournament.
The Championship category is being contested over 54 holes, with players competing for the Gross Winner, Gross Runner-up, Second Gross Runner-up, Nett Winner and Nett Runner-up titles.
The subsidiary competition features Division B and Division C, ladies, seniors and junior golfers competing over 36 holes.
*LEADERBOARD*
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