LUGAZI, Uganda | The annual Uganda Golf Open climaxed on September 13, and, after four weeks of action, had five new champions from Uganda, Kenya, Scotland, France, and Rwanda crowned.

Celestine Nsanzuwera from Rwanda capped the professionals’ competition by winning his first Uganda Open title – a stunning 6 under par score of 278, to secure victory after four days of intense action at the picturesque Lugazi Hills Golf & Country Club.

With last year’s champion Dayne Moore from Zambia skipping the event due to an injury, Nsanzuwera came into full contention on the third day. On a Friday that was affected by a heavy afternoon downpour, Nsanzuwera showed why he is rated among the best in the region with a brilliant round of 65 – matching Musonda’s best score over the four days of competition.

The Rwandan ace closed the penultimate day with four birdies in a row to lead the Championship at six-under, two shots ahead of record title holder Dismas Indiza from Kenya. His shot of the day was on the par-3 15th where he came within inches of an ace; the ball struck the flag and left him a tap-in birdie.

On the final day, Kigali Golf Resort & Villas-based professional Nsanzuwera played safe, matching the course par as the rest of the field tried to get to him but fell short.

"I want to thank each and everyone here for this win. I have played up and done since the first round but my third round 6-under 65 brought me to the top and gave me the motivation and belief that I could win," he said.

The victory in Uganda comes barely a week after clinching the East Africa Swing championship in Kigali, a victory that followed the Sunshine Development Tour in Nairobi.

"I came with the mentality today to win and I played safe, didn’t attack and they helped me win. I feel good to win three tournaments in a row. I thank my sponsors and everyone who is involved in this event. I thank God I made it," he told the press after being handed the trophy from UGU president Jackson Were, UBL MD Andrew Kilonzo and African Golf chief Johnson Omolo.

The Rwandan ace walked off with UGX30 milion, the lion’s share of the UGX150 million kitty.

Kenya’s Njoroge Kibugu finished with 3-under-281 for second place while Cameroon’s Pristhy Fon Nji settled for third place with 282.