Kimani clinches title

By Maarufu Mohamed

Kenya golf captain Francis Kimani recovered from a bad start to clinch this year’s Nyali Open golf tournament, which ended in Mombasa on Sunday.

The event, which was played on the par 71 Nyali Golf and Country club course, saw Kimani, who is a member at Limuru Club, emerge from from fourth position on Saturday with a score of a seven over par 78 gross and six over par 77 gross in the first and second rounds for a total of 155 gross.

However the off scratch player, pulled up his socks in the final rounds on Sunday, hitting a four over par on 75 gross for a round total of 230 to claim the trophy. Kimani started off the day on par five-first hole rolling a level par but dropped a bogey shot on the par four-second hole.

He found the shortest par three-third hole easy hitting a level par and sunk a birdie on the par four-fourth hole before dropping a bogey shot on the fifth hole. Kimani recovered on sixth and seventh holes rolling a back-to-back level pars but again dropped shots on the par four eighth and ninth holes to close the outward nines on a three over par 39 gross.

Good score

In the back nines, Kimani rolled level pars on tenth, eleventh, fourteenth and sixteenth holes, but dropped bogey shots on the twelfth, thirteenth and fifteenth holes.

The consistence golfer increased his points and received ululations from Club members when he closed the final rounds sinking back-to-back birdies on the seventeenth hole and the last par three-eighteenth hole for a one over par 36 gross.

"I played badly on Saturday, but I thank God that all was well on Sunday and many thanks to the Club’s green keeper for maintaining the course in an excellent condition," said Kimani.

Muthaiga’s Frank Matilo was the runner up just a point behind after tying on the same 231 gross with Tanzania’s Nuru Molleli. The biggest loser was the overnight leader Abdulrehman Sihag of Nyali, who dropped to the 18th position on a 245 gross.

Bad play

The American based golfer was leading in day one on a round total of 151 but ended up poorly in the final rounds posting a 23 over par 94 gross. The other golfers in the top ten are Silvestor Odunga (Muthaiga), Robinson Owiti (Vet lab), David Opati (Golf Park), Mathews Omondi (Vet Lab), Justus Madoya (Great Rift), Alan Dainty (Nyali) and Amos Kamau (Leisure).

Golf Park’s Joseph Karanja Waweru who playing the Championship as formality, was crowned the 2011 Keringet Golfer of the Year (Goty) Champion and has also automatically qualified to play in the Kenya Open at Muthaiga Golf Club next year.

School boy Peter Muigai (16 years) of Light Academy in Nairobi and a member of Royal Golf Club, shot a hole--n one in the par three-fifteenth hole which was recorded as the first one ever in the history of the Nyali open.

Kenya tourism Development Corporation and Serengeti Waters sponsored the season ender tournament organised by the Kenya Golf Union, to determine Kenya’s top golf amateur in the Kenya golfer of the year (GOTY) series.

The Goty series, which comprises 18 tournaments that runs through the year in various golf courses across the country, opens doors for young golf amateurs who not only go on to play against professionals in the Kenya Open but are selected into the National Men’s golfing team.