Big field braces for high altitude action

Golfers in the Mountain region as well as those in the Central Rift, are heading to the high altitude Nyahururu Sports Club course this weekend, for the Chairman’s prize hosted by the club’s immediate past chairman Ndegwa Wahome and sponsored by Madison Insurance.

The Stableford off full handicap event, which has also attracted a number of golfers from several clubs in Nairobi, has in all attracted a huge field of 72 players. They include cabinet secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, Laikipia County Governor Nderitu Mureithi and Kieni MP Kanini Kega.

Wahome, who is also the Speaker of the Nyandarua County Assembly, and an advocate, has also invited a number of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) golf playing members.

“I am truly grateful to all those friends who accepted my invitation to play in the tournament which basically winds up my term of office since I had not hosted the chairman’s prize immediately after the club’s annual general meeting in April, as is the tradition,” said Wahome, now a trustee of the club. He will be remembered for having initiated the second nine project which once completed will be the first 18-hole golf course in Laikipia County.

Because of the big field, teeing off is set for 7am in a continues draw where Wahome says, all arrangements have been put in place to make sure that everyone finishes on time.

“The course is in pristine condition and golfers can be assured of an excellent outing this weekend,’’ added Wahome who said work on the second nine was on course and that irrigation is ongoing.

Back in Nairobi, all roads will be leading to Vet Lab Sports Club in Kabete, for the Muthoni Muthiga Golf trophy sponsored by East Africa Breweries and friends of Vet Lab.

The event, which started way back in 2014 to honour the late Muthoni Muthiga, a past chairman of the Kenya Ladies Golf Union (KLGU) and Vice President of the All Africa Ladies Golf Challenge Council (East Africa region), has, as usual, attracted a large field of over 200 golfers.

Besides serving as a golf official, Muthiga also served as the Public Relations Manager of Kenya Breweries Limited for many years before she went into private PR practice until she passed on, in November 26, 2016.

She was involved in many golf projects particularly in tree planting and was also instrumental in the reviving of the Nyahururu Golf Club course which had been closed in the 1980s.

This weekend’s tournament, which is open to all club members as well as guests, is the 8th edition and among those drawn are former Kenya Golf Union (KGU) chairman David Nyakango, Vet Lab’s leading players such as Jack Mwangi, Watson Burugu, lady golfers Mary Karano, Joyce Wafula, and Sarah Hoare.

At Thika Sports Club, the GreenLife golf tournament is expected to bring together over 200 players while at the nine-hole Kiambu Golf Club course a field of 100 golfers have been drawn for the Ketepa Tea tournament.

Away in Machakos, single figure handicapper Mercy Nyanchama is the player to watch in the ladies Open where men will also be in action though they will be teeing off after the ladies.

Internationally, the 2019 Uganda Open being staged at the newly opened Lake Victoria Serena, one of the best golf project to be have been undertaken in recent years, had by Wednesday attracted an entry of 68 players with Kenya as usual leading with over 30 players.

Event organisers are however expecting over 100 players by the time of the official registration on September 9.

This year marks a milestone for the event as it becomes part of the Kenya Open Golf Limited run Safari Tour.

The 2019 Uganda Open starts this weekend with the ladies edition which will be followed by the men amateurs, and finally the $50,000 (about Sh5 million) pro event from September 10 to 14.