Lande paints Machakos red with win

Ibrahim Lande Tees-off to victory during the Valentines Golf Day at Machakos Sports Club, February 16, 2020. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

For home golfer Ibrahim Lande, it was a befitting present after he clinched the overall title of the Machakos Sports Club’s Valentine Golf Day at the weekend.

Lande, playing off handicap 20, had a great outing on the course sinking pars on the par-four fifth, sixth, par-five ninth, par-four 12th and the par-five 18th.

He had bogies on the third hole, which is a par-three, on the seventh (a par-four), par-three 11th, par-four 13th and the 16th hole, a par-four.

Lande then carded five double-bogeys on the par-five first, the second hole a par-three, on the fourth and the par-four seventh.

He picked his lone birdie of the day from the par-four 14th to close with a superb score of 20 stableford points from the front nine and an additional 22 stableford points from the back nine for a sterling round total of 42 stableford points.

“It’s been a wonderful day out on the course. My take-off from the deck was great, my mid-game was equally good, so was my putting,” said Lande.

“Thanks to a tip from Orawo of Railways Club, who gave me a putting tip recently. This has helped me drop the number of strokes on the putting green.”

Meanwhile, Dismas Indiza posted a final round score of 1-under par 71 for level-par 288 to finish second in Uganda’s 2020 Kitante Open. The long-hitting golfer was the top-placed Kenyan at the Johnnie-Walker sponsored tournament. Nigeria’s Andrew Odoh defeated Indiza by two strokes.

Indiza turned in a 34 on the front nine with birdies at the par-five first, par-five third, par-three fourth and par-five eighth after he dropped a shot on the par-four second. On the back nine, Indiza picked a double bogey on the par-four 10th, before bogeying the par-three 11th and holed out his only birdie from the back nine at the par-five 13th for a back nine total of 37.

He then held par on the rest of the holes to pocket Ugx4,000,000 (about Sh109,000).

Odoh, who continued with his steady showing at the tournament, posted a 2-over par 74 score to take his total to 2-under par 286. On the front nine, he turned in neat 37 courtesy of birdies on the par-five, first, par-five fifth and the par-five, eighth.

He, however, dropped shots at the par-four second, par-three sixth and par-four seventh.

On the back, he got off to consecutive bogeys at the par-four 10th and the par-three 11th, dropping another shot at the par-five 13th.