Simiyu’s focus does the trick in Vipingo: Weekend clubs round-up results

SPORTS-GOLF-BERNARD SIMIYU; SPORTS-GOLF-BERNARD SIMIYU;#Bernard Simiyu makes a swing.He was the overall winner on 38 points of the 2017 Stanbic golf tournament at Vipingo Ridge (Baobab) course in Kilifi County on Saturday,022nd July,2017.[Maarufu Mohamed,Standard]

The Mombasa Golf Club vice captain shows how it’s done in the Stanbic tourney.

The par 72 PGA Baobab golf course in Kilifi County is a sight to behold.

When international golf course architect David Jones, who is a former Kenya Open champion, designed the course, he had magnificence in mind.

The course, which is also known as Vipingo Ridge, was voted Kenya’s top field by the World’s top 100 golf magazine in 2015 and it's the only PGA-affiliated Golf Academy and accredited course in East Africa.

Winning here is no doubt the dream of any top golfer in Kenya. It lies between the coastline and the rolling green hills inland, and has a meandering system of lakes and streams running through the holes. Sometimes, the beauty gets the better of golfers in action, and understandably so.

But when Mombasa Golf Club Vice Captain Bernard Simiyu teed off in the 2017 Stanbic golf tournament on Saturday, his focus was key. His precise swings and putts came in handy as he defeated 98 golfers for the overall title.

The handicap 22 golfer posted 38 Stableford points to claim the title in the one-day, 18-hole tournament.

“I came here with the aim of winning the title. It was not easy due to the tricky pin positions, but thank God I made it,” said Simiyu.

Simiyu was one point ahead of Nakuru’s handicap 9 Paul Muia, who was the runner-up on a two-way countback score of 37 points.

Muia tied on points with Muthaiga’s handicap 28 S. Vuma, who was third, and Mombasa’s handicap 18 Hassan Mohamed, who finished fourth.

In Mombasa, Thika’s handicap 02 P Rimui posted a level par of 71 gross to lead the first day of the 98th edition of the 2017 Coast Open (Barry Cup) golf championship.

The two-day, 36-hole event brought together 104 leading golf amateurs.