Balala, Monari set for Junior Golf Championships in Britain
PHOTO | FILE Adel Balala in action during a past practice session at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club.
What you need to know:
- Balala, from Nyali Golf and Country Club Mombasa, and Monari of Rose Naliaka Academy, will feature in the tournament staged every two years.
- The 15-year old Balala, (handicap 3) is currently a student at Tuks Sports High School in Pretoria, South Africa.
- Mary was also in the winning team of the Lisle Shaw (Inter School Trophy) and the Nancy Millar Trophy at Karen.
- Andersen participated in the 2002 Junior Open winning the Africa Trophy.
Kenya’s golf bronze medallists in the recent Africa Youth Olympic Games in Botswana Adel Balala and Mary Monari are set to leave this Friday for the British Junior British Junior Golf Open Golf championships at West Lancashire Golf Club in the United Kingdom.
Balala, from Nyali Golf and Country Club Mombasa, and Monari of Rose Naliaka Academy, will feature in the tournament staged every two years.
Started in 1994, the Junior Open came under The R&A (Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews Scotland) administrative umbrella in 2000. The event is closely linked to The Open Championship and played on a nearby course.
All golfing nations affiliated to The R&A are invited to enter their best under 16 boy and girl golfers.
THE CLARET JUG
The 54-hole strokeplay championship starts on Monday July 14 until 16 July, there after the juniors will visit The 143rd Open Championships at Royal Liverpool, Hoylake - the most coveted trophy (the Claret Jug) in the game and one of the most iconic in all of sport.
The Junior Open is both a scratch and handicap event – all competitors will play 36 holes with the leading 80 and ties (gross) qualifying for the third round. Prizes in the regional categories are awarded on the best nett score over 36 holes. In 2012, the field was 123 competitors from 68 nations.
The 15-year old Balala, (handicap 3) is currently a student at Tuks Sports High School in Pretoria, South Africa. He has represented Kenya in both the junior and senior national golf teams from the age of 13 and is a member of the Kenya junior team since 2013.
He was in the Africa Junior Challenge team in Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Zambia and the Italian Under 16 golf championships last year. Monari - who turned 16 recently - was a member of the victorious national side that defended the biennial Gilberson & Page Trophy at Muthaiga in 2013.
Playing off 6 handicap, Mary was also in the winning team of the Lisle Shaw (Inter School Trophy) and the Nancy Millar Trophy at Karen. She was placed second in both the Karen Junior Open and the Royal Nairobi Junior Championships last year. She is a Class 8 student at Malezi Academy.
The best boy to represent Kenya is selected at the Annual Boys Championships in August in the year preceding the Junior Open – the winner of the Under 16 trophy - whilst the girls had a qualifying event at Windsor Golf and Country Club earlier this year.
A once in a lifetime experience, the players will be accompanied by Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) Trustee Christina Engell Andersen as the official delegate/chaperone. Andersen participated in the 2002 Junior Open winning the Africa Trophy.
