Wafula, Tahir take charge at junior strokeplay contest
Naomi Wafula follows the flight of her shot from the 18th tee during the Kenya Amateur Strokeplay Championship on August 6, 214 at Muthaiga Golf Club. She fired a one over par 72 climb to the top of the overall leaderboard. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO
What you need to know:
- The 72 hole championship comes to an end this morning with the fourth and final round at the same venue which Wednesday also hosted a huge field during the Orange Kenya sponsored Club Nite.
- Woods, who underwent back surgery March 31 to ease a pinched nerve, returned in late June and missed the cut at a PGA event his foundation owns, then shared 69th, his career worst 72-hole major showing, at last month’s British Open.
Nyali’s Tahir Mohammed playing off handicap four Wednesday shot five over par 76 for three rounds total of 225, to maintain his lead among the boys in the 2014 Kenya Junior Amateur Strokeplay Championship at Muthaiga Golf Club.
He was however joined at the top by ladies champion Naomi Wafula who fired an impressive one over par 72 to take over the overall leaderboard and assured herself of the ladies’ title and possible the overall nett.
Also firing one over par 72 was another Nyali junior Mathew Wahome who eventually moved to third place with 229 and in contention for the boys title.
Following Wahome was Adel Balala on 131 after posting 81. He was eight shots better than Royal Nairobi’s Karl Gatiramu.
The 72 hole championship comes to an end this morning with the fourth and final round at the same venue which Wednesday also hosted a huge field during the Orange Kenya sponsored Club Nite. The juniors will this weekend join their senior colleagues for the Kabete Open at Vet Lab Sports Club.
Elsewhere, Tiger Woods was nowhere to be seen Tuesday at the PGA Championship, except for his image on promotional banners, and his status for today’s scheduled start at Valhalla remained uncertain.
Former world number one Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, suffered a back injury Sunday during his final round at the World Golf Championships event in Akron, Ohio.
UNDERWENT BACK SURGERY
Woods, who underwent back surgery March 31 to ease a pinched nerve, returned in late June and missed the cut at a PGA event his foundation owns, then shared 69th, his career worst 72-hole major showing, at last month’s British Open.
Woods has not finished 72 holes in a US event this year without pain, going the distance only at Doral in March with a final-round 78 when he struggled to bend a collected his ball from the cup and grimmaced at times after shots.
It’s a far cry from the level Woods played in the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla, when he beat Bob May in a playoff to win the third leg of what would be four major titles in a row — the “Tiger Slam.”
From his record-shattering first major title at the 1997 Masters to his most recent major crown at the 2008 US Open Woods has attracted fans beyond golf devotees to the sport.
