Anzabwa stands tall in Kakamega

Musalia Mudavadi in action in the Mulembe Golf Day at Kakamega Golf Club, on Saturday. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

A steady handicap drop for James Anzabwa presented him with the overall title during the grand finale of Mulembe golf day at Kakamega Golf Club, over the weekend.

Anzabwa, playing off handicap 18.3, shot a round total of 35 stableford points to claim the top honours in the day-long event that saw a huge field of 121 golfers compete at the nine-hole course.

Mulembe Golf day is the climax of a tournament organised by Mulembe Golfing Society fraternity. They held a similar event at the par 73 Kitale Golf Club last year.

The tournament was presented by Kakamega County government, Tuskys, Dlite Limited, Khetias Supermarket, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.

Others were; Centsavvy Credit, members of Mulembe Golfing Society and Kakamega Sports Club.

Mulembe Golfing Society patron Francis Okwara who was flanked by the society's captain Fred Ikana thanked Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya and other sponsors for facilitating a successful event and the golfers from across the country who participated

Anzabwa had a great first nine outing on the course despite setting out on the wrong note with a bogey on his opener, a par 5.

He bounced back with his days’ lone birdie on the second a par 4, unfortunately, his tee-shot went wild off the deck on the third into the woods from where he was well out and managed a bogey.

He picked successive pars on the fourth, fifth and sixth holes, scratching on the seventh, bogeyed the eighth, a par-3, which plays 196 yards off the white tee and closed his outward nine with a deserving par on the par-4 ninth.

The going got tough for Anzabwa as he double-bogeyed the par-5 10th, bogeyed the 11th and 12th and double-bogeying the 13th too.

Anzabwa briefly redeemed himself with a par on the 14th hole but this was short-lived as he faltered on the 15th to register a double-bogey.

Things got worse on the 16th where he carded his second No-return for the day as he closed the back nine with two more bogeys on the 17th and 18th.