Sports feel normal again as Kenyans get reason to cheer their stars to glory

Athletes participate in 21km men race during Family Bank Half Marathon in Eldoret yesterday. Daniel Simiu ( No 1026 forth right) won the race. 06.10.2019 PHOTOS BY PETER OCHIENG/STANDARD

Moses Koskei of Nyahururu Sports Club won the two-day 2022 Kenya Seed Classic Golf Series at par 73 Kitale Club, over the weekend.

The handicap 13 player beat home rival Ruth Kae in a three-hole playoff to carry the day in the tournament now in its second leg.

Both had tied on 140 nett in regulation after the gruelling 36-hole contest. The duo was buoyed by a capacity crowd during the nerve-breaking play-off in holes 10, 17 and 18 to determine the winner.

The players went all square in the 10th hole before Kosgei went one up in the 17th and another two up with a birdie in the 18th to earn his maiden victory in the annual series currently in its 41st edition.

2018 Kass Marathon winner Cynthia Cherop cruises to victory during the inaugural Bomet County half marathon stage on Saturday. Photo by Gilbert Kimutai/standard

The feat saw Nyahururu Sports Club golfers, who had accompanied Koskei, cheer wildly as they celebrated the achievement.

“The play-off was tough. There were a lot of pressure because the greens were brown and challenging. Nonetheless, it was a well organised tournament,” he said.

The 50-year-old father of five admitted that this was his biggest victory since he started playing golf over a decade ago.

yanza's Alice Aprot competing in Senior Women's 10KM race at the 2021 Inter-Regional Prisons Cross-Country Championship at Prisons Staff Training College, Ruiru. Jan 16, 2020. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Ahead of the event, Koskei, who doubles as Kenya Golf Union Mt.Kenya Representative, said he stepped up his training by playing 18 holes in Kericho on Thursday and on Friday in Eldoret ahead of the tournament in Kitale.

It was the second time that Kae was losing the tournament narrowly.

“Losing the play-off simply means the tournament was not meant for me. I’m happy for Koskei who won,” said Kae, who was last year’s runner-up.

“I strongly believe I will win the tournament next year,” said Kae.

Kae, who started playing golf in 2002, also doubles as the Kenya Ladies Golf Union North Rift Representative.

Kae has planned to engage in the Western Open Ladies Circuit, which starts this weekend in Kericho, before heading to Kisumu, Kakamega, Nandi Bears, Kitale with the final set for Eldoret, on April 2.

While handing over the prizes to the winners, Standard Group PLC Chief Officer Operations and Strategy, Benedict Omollo, hailed the Kenya Seed tournament saying it gave the company a platform to support sports.

“We are also big in agribusiness through our KTN Farmers TV under the Farm Kenya programme. This championships resonated well with our agenda as a media house,” said Omollo.

Kenya Seed Company Managing Director thanked Standard Group for giving them coverage, saying the awareness motivated golfers in the region who are also farmers to prepare their farms ahead of the planting season.

Space and Style Head of Commercial James Kimotho said the tournament gave them an opportunity to meet and create awareness about their products in Kitale.

FMD East Africa General Manager Fergus Robley hoped to strengthen their relationship with the tournament organisers after meeting golfers and farmers in the region.

“We are involved in agriculture, so we came with an array of farm machinery to showcase them to the farmers,” said Robley.