Inana leaves nothing to chance ahead of Karen meet

With less than three weeks to the 54th edition of Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club, so far a field of over 200 regional and international players have confirmed participation.

Among them is 27-year-old Edwin Inana, an alumnus of Golf Talent Foundation (GTF), which is based at Vet Lab Sports Club.

It was founded in 2004 by the late Abdalla Baker, a former Kenya Golf Union (KGU) chairman, and the late Charles Farar.

GFT has been tapping, nurturing and developing golf talent since its inception, with some of its notable alumni being Inana's elder brother, professional golfer Nelson Mudanyi of Muthaiga Golf Club.

Others are Mathew Omondi, Isiah Otuke, Mike Kisia as well as golfing brothers Nelson and Boniface Simwa.

Inana joined GTF in 2015, having started his golfing journey in 2008 as he followed in the footsteps of his brother Mudanyi and his maternal cousins Nelson and Boniface Simwa of Eldoret Club.

Currently ranked ninth on Road to Kenya Open rankings with 170.3 running points, Inana turned pro in May 2019 after doing duty for his home club, Vet Lab. He also had several national call ups between 2015 and 2018.

The highlight of his amateur stint was when he was named Golfer of the Year (Goty) in 2015 and in 2017 when the event was renamed Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC).

His other top accolades include being a multiple winner of Mt Kenya Championship at Nyeri Golf Club, Kabete Open at Vet Lab Sports Club, Manchester Salver at Eldoret Club 2017-2018, Nyali Open in Mombasa in 2016, and being part of the winning team that represented Vet Lab at Nairobi District Foursomes Tournament 2017-2018.

Inana has camped at Karen Country Club from where he has been polishing his game ahead of the final leg of Safari Tour this weekend.

Heavy rains that have been pounding Nairobi have rendered the prestigious course difficult to play in for most golfers who have made it their practice base ahead of the eighth leg whose purse is Sh2.5 million.

“Karen might look easy at times but it requires one to acquaint himself with its elaborate layout. It can prove difficult to play in especially now that the tees setup has been re-positioned," said Inana.

Inana has secured five top 10 finishes in his last five starts and his plan heading into the homestretch is to ensure he makes the cut. The rest will follow.

He is working on lowering his scores and has kind words for Kenya Open Golf Limited.