Big field set for second leg of Safari Tour

Riz Charania follows his shot during the first leg of the 2018-Safari Tour at the Nyali Golf and Country club on August 22, 2018. PHOTO | LARRY NGALA |

What you need to know:

  • The opening round of the 72 hole-event with a cut at the end of the second round for the top 20 is set for Sunday.
  • But for a start and like in the first leg in Mombasa, the 39 pros will join a field of 117 amateurs drawn from various clubs in the country, for the Pro-Am event Saturday from 7am.
  • The amateurs drawn include Kenya Open Golf Limited chairman Peter Kanyago who will be in the company of Vet Lab’s Njani Ndiritu, Steven Njoroge and pro Riz Charania of Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club.

Kenyan professional golfers are back in action this weekend as the par 72 Vet Lab Sports Club course in Kabete hosts the second leg of the recently launched Safari Golf Tour.

This comes just a week after the first leg at the par 71 Nyali Golf and Country Club course in Mombasa, where Golf Park’s David Wakhu completed a four rounds total of level par 284, to beat the long hitting Dismas Indiza by three shots.

Both Wakhu and Indiza as well as others like Royal Nairobi’s Eric Ooko, Riz Charania from Windsor, Kopan Timbe, Greg Snow and Alfred Nandwa will be in action this weekend.

They all finished strongly during the Nyali event, where Wakhu produced a brilliant round of six under par 65, a new pro course record at Nyali, to walk away with the top prize of Sh150,000.

“I am still working hard on my stability and consistency in my game. I am happy with the progress though I decided to play a round of 18 holes at my home course to see where I have improved and where I am not’’ said Wakhu, who said he was using the Safari Tour to polish up his game for international events.

Like the first leg, a prize fund of one million shillings will be at stake at Vet Lab, courtesy of the Kenya Open Golf Limited.

Charania and Timbe finished off on minus scores at Nyali, though they picked up their form rather too late. The Vet Lab course like Nyali, is a tough and long course with fast and tricky greens, where events are won and lost on the greens.

The pros, who are being joined by three pros Isaac Wanyeche, long hitting Nuru Mollel and Jimmy Mollel as well as Uganda’s Philip Kasozi, have been camping at Vet Lab to try and familiarise with the greens in particular and will be interesting to see how the scores will be this time round.

The opening round of the 72 hole-event with a cut at the end of the second round for the top 20 is set for Sunday.

But for a start and like in the first leg in Mombasa, the 39 pros will join a field of 117 amateurs drawn from various clubs in the country, for the Pro-Am event Saturday from 7am.

The amateurs drawn include Kenya Open Golf Limited chairman Peter Kanyago who will be in the company of Vet Lab’s Njani Ndiritu, Steven Njoroge and pro Riz Charania of Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club.

Other interesting teams to watch will be that of pro David Wakhu and amateurs Ken Mariga, Ronnie Muraya and Brian Wamatu. Long hitter Dismas Indiza is drawn along with Martin Makundi, Steve D’Souza, and M.S. Rayat in what appears an interesting team to follow.

The professional golfers will also conduct a free golf clinic for junior golfers at the Vet Lab Sports Club.