Miungi weathers the storm to triumph in Nanyuki event

Lady winner Rose Komu in action during Chairman (Kuldip Singh) Prize 2021 at Nanyuki Sports Club, on Saturday. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

Single handicapper Gabriel Miungi fired a round total of 41 stableford points to lift Nanyuki Sports Clubs’ Chairman (Kuldip Singh) Prize 2021 over the weekend.

Miungi, himself a former club chairman and playing off a solid handicap six, combined 19 stableford points from his outward nine, had an additional 22 stableford points from his inward nine, to prevail over a field of 80 golfers who participated in the tournament.

The event was presented by Crown Paints Limited in association with Automobile Association of Kenya (AA) to celebrate the end of Kuldip’s second term in office as the club chairman.

On the front nine, Miungi had pars on the opener a par-four, par-four second, par-three third before picking back-to-back birdies on the par-four fourth and fifth holes.

He then suffered mild birdiosis making to consecutive bogeys on the par-four sixth, par-five seventh and a double-bogey on the par-five eighth after he hooked his tee-shot out of bounds to the left, but still managed a par with his second ball.

He later wound up his front nine with a par on the ninth for 19 stableford points before a deserved break prolonged by suspension of play after the clouds opened up with heavy downpours that rendered the course unplayable.

After the resumption of play, the conditions of play changed with the course playing short and heavy. The greens were also playing slower.

His back nine started on a high with a birdie on the 10th hole, parred the 11th and 12th holes. He then had three successive pars on the 14th and 15th before finishing strong with two more birdies on the 16th and 17th holes both par-five.

He then iced his round with a par on the homestretch 18th, a par-three to finish with 22 more points.

“It was one of those days when everything falls into place. I was hitting well off the deck with great mid game and short game too. I was afraid of the rains after the halfway break but somehow, I kept the tempo and I’m glad to have won,” said Miungi.

Claiming top honours in the ladies category was handicap 20, Rose Komu, on a score of 32 stableford points ahead of Lucy Njuguna, who posted 30 stabelford points.

At Ruiru Golf Club, home player Mary Wambui carded a round of 42 points to top the leader board and emerge overall winner at the penultimate event of the 2021 NCBA Golf Series.

Playing off handicap 32, Wambui became the second lady golfer to be crowned the overall winner across the Series, which teed-off in January this year. She joins an illustrious list of 20 other overall winners in the Series – which has now featured 21 seniors’ events and one junior golf tournament.

Her effort saw her brush off the charge by fellow club mate, Samuel Njuguna – playing off handicap 15, who also carded a round of 42 points to emerge the winner in the men’s category. Njuguna finished the round two points better than Joseph Kamiri, playing off handicap 19, who carded 40 points to emerge runner-up in the men’s classification.

In the ladies’ category, Ruth Kamau, playing off handicap 13, was crowned the winner with a score of 42 points ahead of Catherine Gitonga who ended the round with 42 points to claim the runner-up position in the category.