Muthaiga's Emir to represent Ukraine at World Amateur Championship

Emir Hussein Pryadko, a member of Muthaiga Golf Club Academy’s “Elite Squad’’, will represent Ukraine during this year’s World Amateur Championship in Nagano Japan in September.

The 15-year-old Emir made it to that country’s national team after finishing fourth in the Ukrainian national team trials held early this month.

“I sent him and his coach (Muthaiga’s Anil Shah) to play in the Ukrainian Amateur Open Championship which served as a qualifier for the Ukrainian national team for the World Team Championship in Japan but I didn't know he had any chance of making it," said Emir’s father Anwar Hussein.

Born in Ukraine, Emir is the son of Kenyan man (Anwar Hussein) and Ukrainian mother Natalya Pryadko. The handicap seven Emir who is also a member of Muthaiga’s league side.

IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCES

He recently participated in the Amateur Championship and the Baltic Regional Championship where he finished seventh out of 70 players.

“I am so excited and happy for him. This will real motivate him to do well in future events,’’ said Anwar, a member of Muthaiga who is also the boss of Rapid Communications Company which is sponsoring the Rapid Golf Challenge at Muthaiga this week.

Currently in a golf academy in Ukraine, Emir will play in a number of tournaments such as Kiev and Russian Open and in Turkey before heading to Kariugawa in Nagano Japan for the 29th edition of the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower trophy for the men and the Espirito Santo trophy for the ladies.

“This is real good news for Kenyan juniors particularly those in the “Elite Junior Squad’’ that anyone of them can make it to the highest level in the game. Emir started his golf at Muthaiga at the age of 10 and was able to drop his handicap to single figure within two years.

A year 10 student at Braeburn School, he and seven other juniors have been training under Anil Shah at Muthaiga over the past one year. His coach, Shah, said Emir was all along determined to make it to the Ukrainian team.

“He has been practising hard whenever he is not in school and I had no doubt that he was going to play well when we travelled to Ukraine but I was not so sure he was going to make it to the team,’’ said Shah who is also the coach of the national team.

The Eisenhower trophy tournament was last held in Turkey in 2012. Kenya, participated in the 2010 tournament held in Argentina.