Gikunda bags prize at Railways Club
Golf
By
Mose Sammy
| Apr 08, 2019
A differential score of 33 points was all Joyce Gikunda needed to clinch the outgoing Kenya Railways Golf Club chairman Laban Gathungu’s prize over the weekend.
Playing off handicap 14, Joyce also known as “Shosh” to her fans, carded 70 nett on the tournament’s first day that was played under the medal format and 37 stableford points.
The two-day event was the climax of Gathungu’s tenure at the helm of the club and was presented by Kenya Railways, Heineken, Isuzu Motors and NIC Bank, among other sponsors.
A total of 203 golfers graced the event with 90 golfers playing on Friday, while 113 others played on Saturday.
Gikunda attributed her good form to the friendly pairing she had on both days, adding that the course was playing equally well to her liking and style.
Her tee-shots were equally good as she hit the fairways throughout the two days. Her putting was also solid after landing on the green.
Gikunda, who has played the gentleman’s game for the past 10 year and is a former Lady Captain for 2016-2017, was in her element claiming her second Chairman’s prize. She first won in 2013 when she lifted the PeterKamara’s prize.
The ever jovial Gikunda had a mixed front nine from where she collected bogeys on the par-five first, par-four second, par-four third and par-three fourth.
She briefly redeemed herself with two pars on the par-four fifth and par-three sixth before she had a no return on the par-four seventh.
She bounced back with a par on the par-four eighth before closing with a bogey on the par-five ninth.
After the midway break, she picked a bogey on the par-five 10th and sank back-to-back pars on the par-four 11th and 12th.
Gikunda then dropped a shot of the 13th from where she managed a bogey but sank a par on the par-four 14th before dropping vital shots on the Kerio-Valley, a par-three 15th.
“It has been a fantastic two-day of golfing for me. Much thanks to the teams I played with for being good people, who were full of fun. I felt something from deep down urging me on after every shot,” said Gikunda.
“We are proud of the partnership we’ve developed with the Kenya Railways Golf Club.
“Under the greening partnership, we have so far planted 500 trees and intend to plant more in future,” said Kenya Railways Managing Director Philip Mainga.
“Under my chairmanship, the club was able to put in place strengthened organisational structure, internal controls and governance for effective oversight over the club’s resources.”
Seventeen twos were recorded in the tournament.