Gloria Nanyonga was on Saturday, August 10, 2024, revealed as the winner of the second quarter of the Serena 63 Golf Series at Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa, Kigo. This announcement was made during the quarterly awards session held at the facility’s lakeside clubhouse.

The top five scores of each player in the second quarter were used to rank performance in the series presented by I&M Bank Uganda and Serena Hotels. Nanyonga, with a handicap of 16, emerged as the best player with 200 points (41, 41, 39, 44, 35), making her the first lady golfer to win one of the quarters.

Nanyonga, who started playing golf two years ago, credited her performance to her consistent practice sessions on the range as well as her focused efforts to improve her short game.

“I trained consistently and, somehow, I am not surprised to be the leader because I managed to play well throughout the second quarter after I gained confidence following consistent practice,” Nanyonga said, adding that she hopes to better her handicap in the following weeks as well as return good results in the next phase of the series.

Nanyonga, who was sixth in the first quarter with 108 points, dedicated her victory to David Plenderleith, the defending champion of the series and the winner of the first quarter, who was the runner-up in the second quarter with 196 points (43, 42, 38, 37, 36). ‘He introduced me to golf, and most recently, he has been my coach, so I gladly dedicate this win to him,’ Nanyonga noted.”

Henry Kibuuka, with 190 points (43, 40, 37, 35, 35), finished third in the second quarter of the series, which saw the number of participants rise to 77.

The Saturday event, which was graced by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, also featured a subsidiary category. Jadu Patel (40 points), Sahil Halai (36 points), and Leena Halai (35 points) were the top performers in this category, while Philip Mutebi (39 points) and David Plenderleith (34 points) were named the top two members in the main category on the final day of the second quarter.

Brad Allen and Samson Agamire, who both scored 38 points, were the guest winners. In the side bets, Tiger Lee won the nearest-to-the-pin prize, while Sameer Noorandi claimed the longest drive prize.

I&M Bank gave away perks to the top performers. The company’s Chief Financial Officer, Timothy Musiime, who represented CEO Robin Bairstow, reemphasized their pride in being part of the Serena 63 Golf Series and their commitment to supporting the growth and development of golf.

“At I&M Bank, we are committed to partnering with the golfing fraternity. Golf embodies excellence, friendship, and commitment—values we align with and support here in Uganda and across the region,” Musiime said.

“We are looking forward to the grand finale of the series because there is a lot in store. I urge all the players to bring their best, as the best is yet to come,” Musiime added.

The overall winners of the Serena 63 Series will be announced at the series grand finale, scheduled for November 30th. To qualify for the main prizes, players must complete a minimum of 26 rounds of 18 holes each.