Amateurs pitch camp at Kakamega for KGU's top gongs

Kenya Railway’s John Lejirma. [Maarufu Mohamed, Standard]

Top leading  Amateurs will again be  trying their  luck  for  honors  and Cash money prizes  in the  2023  Goldfields Trophy Golf tournament that kicks off  at the  Kakamega Sports Club  from Friday.

The three day action  which has  attracted  some 60  top leading Amateurs proudly sponsored by NCBA Bank and Skyward Express and is  one of the ongoing  26  series organized  by  the  Kenya Golf Union (KGU).

The Amateurs will be playing 18 holes in each of the three days to also earn points counting for the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and will also contribute to the Kenya Amateur Golf Champion (KAGC) and Club Trophy Rankings.

All the entrants will play in the first two rounds after which the top 33 and ties will make the cut to the final round on Sunday.

The defending champion John Lejirma from Kenya Railways Golf Club will be battling it out with the 2021 Champion Nelson Koech from Nandi Bears Club and players drawn from the home club.

They include among others those from Eldoret, Golf Park, Kenya Railway, Kericho, Kiambu, Malindi, Muthaiga, Nandi Bears, Nyali, Royal Nairobi, Ruiru and VetLab Golf Clubs.

A win for Lejirma will help bridge the 241 points gap with the current leader in the KAGC Ranking, Michael Karanga who is leading comfortably with 670 points.

Vetlab’s Ebill Omollo who sits fourth and fifth placed Elvis Muigua of Kiambu Golf Club will also be seeking to up their positions at the top of the leaderboard.

The only lady Golfer Lydia Oketch from the home club is drawn to play in the tournament having made the entry requirements.

Club Captain James Anzabwa disclosed   that the prize money is Kshs 350,000 and the club is well on course to host the tournament.

According to the draw, the event starts at 7am with the team of B.Okumu, S.Orinda and N.Muchiti while the last to tee off at 12.20 Pm will be the group of J. Gathumbi, J. Koina and L. Oketch.

Meanwhile one of the oldest golf groups in Kenya, the Sunset Golfing Society comes to the Coast for its 2023 Mombasa Edition.

Felix Ochieng , the Society’s  Captain  said yesterday that the  Mombasa edition  will  start  today (Friday) at the Seafront Mombasa Golf  Club course as a curtain raiser  before the main one tomorrow (Saturday) at the par 71 Nyali Golf and Country club course.

Ochiend explained that the tournament held across the Country and part of the society’s calendar brings members together to play, enjoy and socialize.

Apart from the Coast Local golfers, the event has also attracted   the Society’s Chairman Eden Odhiambo and Vice-chairman Sylvester Odhiambo who are both ardent golfers.

The joint sponsors are Stanbic Bank, Liberty Kenya (Liberty Life and Heritage Insurance) Tysons, Riley Falcon, VIP Hotel, AAR Healthcare and Clinics, Jibu Water, and individual member sponsors.

According to the Society’s  calendar  of events, after the  Mombasa Edition ,  the  remaining  others  will be  held  at the  Royal Nairobi  Golf Club on  September 22nd  and the   Grand  Sunset  Final Festival  will be  in December  at the  Lakeside  Nyanza  Golf club  in Kisumu.

Nyali Golf and Country Club Manager Eunice Masila  and  Mombasa Golf Club’s  Captain James Gitonga both  said that their club courses were in  excellent conditions following the rains  and that  the Club's  Management  and Board of Directors were  excited  and ready  to host  the tournament.

The Club’s Chairman Kamami Njoroge will be  the first  to tee off at 7am from the first tee alongside  lawyer Gabriel Gakuo and any other two late entries  while the last team at 13.40pm will be  Odhiambo  playing  alongside B.Omondi.G, Okuku.J  and Aidah.B  who will be  teeing off  from the tenth tee.

Elsewhere over 200 golfers will be at the Karen Country Club on Saturday for the 7^th leg of the ongoing NCBA golf series?

The winners of the overall gross, Men's category, Women's category, and juniors’ category will earn their place to compete in the highly anticipated Grand Finale.

This event follows the recently concluded sixth leg of the NCBA Golf Series, held at VetLab Sports Club, which saw an impressive field of 252 golfers battling it out for top honors.

NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora said they are thrilled to be heading back to Karen which has a rich history and renowned golfing facilities that makes it the perfect setting for this tournament.

“The NCBA Golf Series is not only about the sport of golf but also about building strong connections with our customers and the community. We are excited to witness the remarkable talent and sportsmanship on display as golfers compete for their place in the Grand Finale, “said Gachora.

This year's edition consists of a total of 17 club qualifier events hosted at various golf clubs in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.

The Series has so far been played at the Railway Golf Club, Limuru Country Club, and Windsor Golf Club, Thika Sports Club, Kakamega Sports Club and VetLab Sports Club.