Flavour that comes with Safari Tour is the tonic that local golfers need

Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club hosted the Road to Kenya Open [Courtesy]

The final round of the Road to Kenya Open event at Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club was this week, always a major attraction for the best East African Golfers.

It was not so much for its beauty, a fusion between God and man’s art, as a chance to earn some money and secure a position at the Magical Kenya Open. In the four days they spent in the magnificent fairways that are surrounded by mature forests, top golfers will be forgiven for not noticing the rich fauna and flora.

During the final rounds on Wednesday, Greg Snow took no notice of the grey heron that was having his first fishy meal of the day right in front of him as he focused on his tee shot on the second hole.

Some birds, however, made their presence known when the golfers decided to disturb their morning rituals. The black kites picked some golf balls that startled them and one was seen dumping a ball in the water.

The resident blacksmith plovers just beyond the 18th green made their discomfort known when golfers played their golf balls from near the breeding area. They gave their familiar tink-tink-tink call that sounds like metal on an anvil. This clearly unnerved some of the golfers who stepped back a few times to compose themselves.

At 7,290 yards long from the blue tees, which were the tees used for the event, Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club is the longest rated golf course in Kenya. Rizwan Charania, the resident professional golfer at Windsor, emerged the winner, having played three under par after the four rounds with his younger brother Zaafir caddying for him.

With a plus four handicap, Rizwan is one of the few professional golfers in Kenya who maintain a playing handicap. This is a good way of monitoring his playing abilities. This must have played a major role in his consistency during the season.

Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club [Courtesy]

With the end of the Road to the Kenya Open, Kenya Open Golf Limited had planned to award the top eight in the series slots to play in the Magical Kenya Open. There was, however, a tie at the eighth position and this led the board increasing the slots on offer for the Road to Kenya Open.

After this final event, the professional golfers who will participate in the Magical Kenya Open will be Greg Snow, Dismas Indiza, Rizwan Charania, David Wakhu, John Wangai, Simon Ngige, Tony Omuli, Nelson Simwa and David Opati.

The Kenya Golf Union have also sent a list of the six amateur golfers who will participate at the Magical Kenya Open. They will be Samuel Njoroge, Daniel Nduva, Edwin Mudanyi, Mike Kisia, Bradley Mogire and Mutahi Kibugu.

The most important thing to have happened to golf in Kenya is the Safari Tour. The Safari Tour has its own special flavour in as far as golf tournaments go. It has given a platform to our local professional and our top amateur golfers to launch themselves from. The current flavour of the Safari Tour is authentic and out to help the local golfers.

It is a far cry from the Safari Tour of the 1980s that was played in Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Zambia then culminating at the Kenya Open.

This version of the Safari Tour was used more to give the European professionals golfers a launching pad as well as warm climate during their winter years. The current flavour of the Safari Tour is the tonic that Kenyan golf require to start thriving.

Mr Wang’ombe is a Kenya Golf Union Executive