Kin Kariisa and John Paul Basa have booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2025 Stanbic Matchplay after surviving a nail-biting sudden death showdown at Entebbe Club on June 14.
Facing former champions Saidi Kirarira and Richard Mucunguzi in one of the most tightly contested matches of the tournament so far, Kariisa and Basa held their nerve after 18 holes couldn’t separate the two sides.
The match had been neck and neck all afternoon, eventually heading into a sudden-death playoff where the Next Media Group CEO and his partner clinched the win.
“It was a real fight,” Kariisa told NBS Sport after the match. “What makes our pairing special is balance. We complement each other. Even though we’re both low handicappers, we push each other and never let up.”
Despite the pressure, Kariisa gave full credit to their opponents. “Kirarira and Mucunguzi gave us a real challenge. They’re high handicappers, so they got strokes on most holes, and they used them well. It wasn’t an easy walk,” he added.
This marks the first time Kariisa and Basa have reached the semi-final stage of the Matchplay tournament. The win sets up a big opportunity for the pair, who are confident they can go all the way.
“We’re ready for anything. Whoever’s next, we’ll battle it out,” Kariisa said with a laugh. “Unless they golf from another planet, we’re coming for that prize.”
The Stanbic Matchplay semis promise more fireworks, and with Kariisa and Basa in this kind of form, their road to the final looks very much alive.
