The event featured 139 golfers from 10 countries. Professionals competed for a share of the $50,000 prize fund, as well as points for the Official World Golf Ranking and the Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit.

Edwin Kiplagat, Marabou News Agency

Ghanaian golfer Vincent Torgah won the Lakowe Lakes Golf Classic in Lagos, Nigeria, after a playoff, making him the first winner of a Sunshine Development Tour event in West Africa.

Torgah seemed on track for an easy win until Nigeria’s Kamalu Bako launched a final-round comeback. Bako shot a tournament-best 66, six under par, with eight birdies, to tie Torgah at 213 total strokes after 54 holes. Torgah carded a 70 on the final day, forcing a playoff to settle the title.

Torgah, who recorded rounds of 72, 71, and 70, won the playoff to secure the win at the Lakowe Lakes Golf Club.

“So I was like wow, I had a chance and the pressure was coming. I came back and took the playoff nicely,” Torgah said.

After leading in the first round, Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera bounced back from a second-round score of 75 to shoot a 70 in the final round. He finished tied for third place with Ghana’s Ezekiel Afisco, as both players ended with a two-under-par total of 214.

Cameroon’s Nji Pristhy and Zambia’s Sydney Joseph Wemba tied for fifth place with a level-par 216. Nigeria’s Odeh Alechenu, Mustapha Abubakar, and Augustine Manasseh tied for seventh place alongside Uganda’s Ronald Rugumayo, all finishing at one over par with a 217.

The event featured 139 players from 10 countries. Professionals competed for a share of the $50,000 prize fund, as well as points for the Official World Golf Ranking and the Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit.

The Sunshine Development Tour will head to Nakuru, Kenya, for its next event. The city will host the Rift Valley Championship from October 25 to 27, 2026.

The tour will return to Nigeria from November 18 to 21 for the Alpha Bravo Golf Classic at the Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate.

Marabou News Agency

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• 1st Serena Captain’s Putter
• Overall Winner: Sahil Halai (43 points)

Uganda golf events’ 19th-hole experiences are often a bit scripted and predictable: dinner, awards, perhaps some entertainment, and everyone calls it a day.

However, on Saturday, September 26, during the Lake Victoria Serena’s inaugural Captain’s Putter Golf Tournament, the case was different.

The event was hosted by Lake Victoria Serena Golf Captain Jimmy Mugerwa, who is also the Chairman of the Uganda Breweries Limited Board and Patron of the Johnnie Walker Blue Club.

The tournament attracted a full field, with golfers teeing off at 12 p.m. from different tee boxes in a shotgun start.

Captain Jimmy Mugerwa teed off at number three, with a whisky toast, and the occasion also marked the launch of the third hole.

A hole-in-one prize was staked at the same hole, with a Kia Seltos up for grabs. However, the prize went unclaimed as no player managed to register a hole-in-one.

Sahil Halai emerged the Overall Winner, scoring 43 points. He received a trophy, a Callaway Odyssey 2-Ball Putter and a Cornerstone Hamper.

“It was an amazing round, unbelievable golf I played out there. You know, one of those, I think it happens to everyone, they say that once in a while you just have a round where everything just keeps going the way it should be. So it was amazing,” Sahil said.

Other winners included Allan Atuhaire (Guest Winner, 39 points), Rhoda Kimera (Ladies Group B, 38 points), Gloria Nanyonga (Ladies Group A, 34 points), Dr John Byabagambi (Men Group C, 35 points), Patrick Sumata (Men Group B, 38 points), and Henry Kibuuka (Men Group A, 39 points).

Side-bet winners included Uganda Golf Union President Dr Jackson Were (Best Recovery Shot), Claver Serumaga (Most Balls in Water), Suresh Patel (Biggest Smile), George Nkya (Best Dressed), Katy Kabenge (Nearest to Pin Ladies), David Batanda (Nearest to Pin Men), Grace Mayiani (Longest Drive Ladies), and Banza Matsiko (Longest Drive Men).

The 19th hole was transformed into a luxurious Johnnie Walker Blue Club social experience, bringing together golfers, Jimmy’s friends, members of Uganda’s business community and Blue Club members, for an evening of whisky, dinner, music and networking.

The festivities kicked off with a Johnnie Walker Blue Label toast on a yacht, led by Captain Jimmy himself, accompanied by Johnnie Walker East Africa Brand Manager, Christine Kyokunda, Lake Victoria Serena Director of Golf, Theo Van Rooyen and other stakeholders.

Later, guests were welcomed to the experience with complimentary Johnnie Walker cocktails of different flavours before settling in for a sumptuous dinner, with live band music playing in the background.

In his address, Mugerwa, also the Patron of the Blue Club, thanked everyone who has contributed to the growth of both the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Society and the Johnnie Walker Blue Club.

In fact, the longest part of his speech was dedicated to recognising different personalities from different walks of life for their contribution and support.

“I was initially a little worried about the weather, but thankfully everything came together beautifully. The inaugural Captain’s Putter has been a tremendous success, and I want to thank our partners, the golfers, the Serena team and everyone who came out to support us,” Mugerwa said.

“We wanted to create an experience that went beyond the golf, bringing people together to enjoy the game, good company and meaningful conversations. I am particularly pleased with how the Johnnie Walker Blue Club experience has come together and how it has brought together not just our members, but different people. I look forward to seeing the Captain’s Putter grow,” he added.

Johnnie Walker’s Kyokunda noted that by taking over the 19th-hole experience, Johnnie Walker was able to give consumers an opportunity to engage with the brand while also introducing more people to the Blue Club.

“We have had an amazing experience, engaging our consumers about the Johnnie Walker brand, and more importantly the Johnnie Walker Blue Club. I am happy to announce that we managed to get more members to sign up for the Blue Club. It’s been quite a wonderful, action-packed and fun-filled day. Golf is very synonymous with our Keep Walking platform, because every step forward counts; this is a platform that we will continue to partner with,” Kyokunda said.

The evening also included a whisky masterclass, while the gifting bar ensured guests had an opportunity to personalise different Johnnie Walker products.

The event featured live music performances from Myko Ouma and the Band, as well as top vocalist Elijah Kitaka, who performed some of the fans’ favourites from his catalogue.

Lake Victoria Serena’s Theo Van Rooyen revealed that the Captain’s Putter will be an annual tournament going forward.

The post Serena’s inaugural Captain’s Putter leaves lasting impressions appeared first on Kawowo Sports.

Fourteen years of waiting, one disastrous hole, and a furious comeback later, Art Arbole finally had the moment he had chased for most of his professional career.

And when it finally came, it arrived with the kind of drama worthy of a long-awaited breakthrough.

Arbole blew a one-stroke lead with an errant drive on the fourth hole, fell two shots behind Jhonnel Ababa after a disastrous seven, then watched several proven winners close in as the pressure mounted in the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

Instead of folding, however, the journeyman found another gear.

He answered the setback with a remarkable run of birdies, steadied himself as the challengers faded, and overcame a late miscue to fire a gritty 70 and finally secure the championship he had waited 14 years to win with a gutsy 21-foot par-saving putt on the 18th.

Arbole finished at 10-under 270, one shot ahead of Jeffren Lumbo, whose closing 67 rally fell just short at 271, and two clear of Ababa, who faltered late with a 71 to finish at 272.

The victory gave Arbole his first Philippine Golf Tour title, ending a drought that had stretched across nearly his entire professional career.

“Thank you, Lord. I really prayed for this win. Kasi, coming Sept. 29, birthday ko. So, binigay Niya talaga. Ang sarap sa feeling na binigay Niya,” said Arbole, who turns 36 next week.

His victory looked anything but certain after the disaster on No. 4, where he drove out of bounds. His second drive struck a tree, forcing a punch-out, before he reached the green in five and eventually made a seven. As Ababa birdied the same hole, Arbole went from one ahead to two behind in a matter of minutes.

“Grabe, parang nag-shutdown na lahat after kong ma-OB,” he recalled.

But rather than allowing frustration to take over, he stuck to his routine and focused on the holes ahead.

“Laban lang. Laban lang,” he said.

After dropping another stroke on No. 8 and falling three shots behind, Arbole began his charge with a birdie on the ninth, followed by another on No. 10. He added birdies on Nos. 12 and 14, transforming a three-shot deficit into a two-shot lead in a breathtaking turnaround.

“I just hung in there and stayed focused. I never let those early setbacks shake my mindset,” said Arbole, who also relied on his putting and feel on the greens to stay in contention.

The quality of the players chasing him made the comeback even more remarkable.

Ababa, a former Order of Merit champion and winner of the 2024 Apo tournament, stayed within striking distance but dropped another shot on No. 11 before bogeying the 17th.

Lumbo, winner of the South Pacific leg last year, briefly joined the battle at nine-under after birdieing No. 10 but could manage only pars over the final eight holes.

Multi-titled Zanieboy Gialon also made a move with a 33 on the front nine, only to see his challenge fade into a string of pars on the back nine. He finished with a 68 for solo fourth at 273.

Defending back-to-back champion Rupert Zaragosa threatened to turn the tournament into a four-man shootout after three straight birdies from No. 7 put him within one shot of the lead at eight-under.

But a bogey on No. 13 sent him four shots back, while bogeys on the final two holes dropped him to fifth at 275 after a 70.

One by one, the proven winners who had threatened to deny Arbole his long-awaited breakthrough fell away.

Arbole did not.

With a one-shot lead heading into the 72nd hole, Arbole chose aggression on the par-5, pulling out his 3-wood instead of laying up with a rescue club. He pulled the shot toward the adjacent No. 1 fairway, leaving himself with a difficult third shot as trees blocked his path to the green.

“Sa third shot, sabi ko, parang mahirap kasi sobrang taas ng puno. From 150 yards to the pin, I forced it to send it at least to the front of the green,” said Arbole, whose fourth shot rolled about seven steps past the hole.

With the title still hanging in the balance, he spotted the slope and trusted his stroke rather than overthinking the 21-footer.

“Actually, nakita ko ’yung slope. Sabi ko, ‘By chance, papasok ’to.’ Parang may boost na nagsasabi, ‘Good stroke lang. Good stroke.’ So, ’yun, nakuha ko,” he said.

When the final putt fell, 14 years of waiting came rushing to an end.

His fellow pros mobbed him and doused him with water as the celebration erupted around the green, while fans at the clubhouse roared in recognition of a breakthrough long overdue.

Arbole pocketed P448,750—more than he had earned in his entire career before Thursday—and, more importantly, finally claimed the championship trophy that had eluded him for so long.

“Hindi ko talaga in-expect na manalo dito, pero napi-feel ko na kaya ko kasi nakuha ko na yung palo na gusto ko talaga. So, yes, yung palo nga, tapos nag-connect pa ang irons at putting ko,” he said.

He credited his family, Total Power, Jack Tan and Roxanne Raquel, and Cangolf’s Luigi Yulo for continuing to believe in him through the years.

“Unang-una sa lahat, gusto kong pasalamatan ang asawa at anak ko kasi sila talaga yung fan number one ko,” he said.

The victory capped an arduous journey that began with his professional debut at Splendido Taal in 2012.

He made the cut in that first tournament but finished last, then spent the next 14 years grinding his way around the PGT, often contending but repeatedly falling short. His best previous result was a Top 5 finish at the 2024 Lakewood Championship.

There were strong starts that faded, promising rounds that ended in disappointment, and seasons when Arbole arrived carrying the same hope only to leave with another dream deferred.

Until Thursday.

This time, when adversity struck, Arbole answered.

The out-of-bounds drive on No. 4 could have broken his momentum. Instead, it became the beginning of his defining comeback. As Ababa, Lumbo, Gialon and Zaragosa gradually fell away, Arbole remained standing.

His reward was not just a one-shot victory.

It was the championship he had spent 14 years chasing.

“I just hung in there,” said Arbole.

For a journeyman who had spent long years chasing the first win of his career, hanging in there turned out to be more than enough.

The post Art Arbole ends 14-year wait with dramatic PGT breakthrough appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.