Muthaiga is next stop for KQ Safari Series
A golfer at one of the bunkers at Muthaiga Golf Club during a past tournament. FILE PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |
What you need to know:
- If all those drawn turn up at the course it will be the largest field to have participated in a one-day tournament.
Afield of 316 golfers will compete in the 11th leg of the Kenya Airways Golf Safari Series at the par-71 Muthaiga Golf Club course this weekend.
If all those drawn turn up at the course, commonly known as ‘Kenya’s home of golf,’ it will be the largest field to have participated in a one-day tournament not only at Muthaiga but also in the country as a whole.
Late last year, 300 were drawn for the chairman’s prize at Royal, although only 284 showed up. Apart from the guests and staff of KQ, led by CEO Mbuvi Ngunze, all those drawn will battling it out for six return-air tickets (two each for the overall winner, men’s winner and lady winner).
This will be in addition to a trip to Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club for the three ticket winners where the overall winner will get a ticket to any Africa KQ destination.
OTHER WINNERS
The other two winners will earn domestic return tickets.
Unlike the par-73 Nakuru Club course which was fairly dry, Muthaiga, the venue of Kenya’s premier golf event, the Kenya Open, is in excellent condition ahead of the event.
Unfortunately, the event is not one of the five in which local pros have been included. It would have been interesting to see how they score over the par-71 course. They will instead play at Sigona, Karen, Royal and the grand finale at Windsor on March 27.
Back to this weekend’s action, all the leading golfers at Muthaiga are drawn to battle it out with the middle and high handicappers, the format being Stableford off full handicap.
The single figure handicappers drawn include Kumar Dhall, Tanvir Sodi, Uday Rajani, Rajesh Bhabra, Alan Wairi, and Geoffrey Kubwa.
Down at the Coast, Christine Ockotch, the first lady golfer to be elected chairman at Nyali Golf and Country Club, will wind up her two-year term in office with a chairman’s prize event which has attracted a field of 188.
The event, sponsored by Vivo Energy, Toyota Kenya, Tysons Limited, NAS Cuisine and East African Breweries, comes exactly a week after the Captain’s Prize last weekend.
“This is going to be an exciting weekend. I am very happy that we have such a big entry, this is a befitting exit for me as the club chairman, having not only been the first lady chairman but served for two years,” said Ockotch.
