THE Arusha region has emerged as the overall champion in the third round of the Lina PG Tour golf tournament, with its representatives Nuru Mollel securing first place and Elisante Lemeris taking second place in both professional and amateur categories.

The tournament, organized by the Nkya Family and the Tanzania Ladies Golf Union (TLGU), featured numerous professional and amateur players, honoring Lina Nkya, who passed away on January 19, 2021. Lina was a former player and leader of TLGU.

The 72-hole tournament took place at the Arusha Gymkhana Club from Thursday, July 11, to Sunday, July 14, and saw Arusha golfers dominating the top spots in both professional and amateur categories.

Mollel, the professional winner, took home TZS 6.8 million, while Elisante Lembris, who finished second, earned TZS 4.3 million. Both hail from Arusha.

Amateur golfers Jay Nathwani, Aliabass Kermali, and Garv Chadhar, who secured the top three positions, also hail from Arusha.

"I fought hard, especially on the last day, to win with a final score of +8. But the competition was incredibly tough," said Mollel, adding: "The Nkya family has done a tremendous job, first by offering such great prizes for the winners. This makes the game of golf highly competitive and will attract more players. I have great faith that future tournaments will see even more participants."

Lembris, who led for three consecutive days, finished in second place with a score of +11. Isack Wanyeche took third place with a score of +27, earning TZS 3.4 million in prize money.

Other cash prize winners included John Saidi, who finished fourth with a score of +30, earning TZS 2.7 million, while Frank Mwinuka, who also scored +30, secured fifth place with TZS 2 million. 

Fadhil Nkya took sixth place with a score of +32, receiving TZS 480,000.

In the amateur category, Arusha shone again, taking the top three spots through Jay Nathwani, Aliabass Kermali, and Garv Chadhar.

"I thank God for allowing me to perform well because the competition was very tough," said Nathwani, attributing his success to his experience on the course.

This was the third round of the Lina PG Tour series, following the previous rounds held at TPC Moshi and Morogoro.