If you like it, Crown it at Kiambu
What you need to know:
- Those are Simon Ngige, Sullivan Muthugia and Sam Kamau from Thika Sports Club, as well as Malindi-based Samson Mapinga.
- Limuru’s James Karanja and John Kagiri, Kopan Timbe, and Paul Thuo are also in the mix.
The Crown Silicon Stableford Golf Challenge, a country-wide golf series being sponsored by giants paints company Crown Paints, marks its third leg at the nine-hole Kiambu Golf Club course this weekend.
Coming after last weekend’s second leg at Thika Sports Club, this weekend’s tournament has attracted field of 136 players who will be battling it out for a list of 11 fabulous prizes, which include the overall winner and four other prizes for the men, while the ladies will vie for two prizes with one special prize reserved for the guests of Crown Paints.
As usual, the company’s top executives led by managing director Rakesh Rao will be around during the day to update their clients drawn mainly from the Construction Industry.
Leading the guests will be Sports Kenya chairman Fred Muteti from Muthaiga Golf Club, while others will include MultiChoice Kenya Corporate Affairs Manager Philip Wahome, and Limuru Country Club’s Dennis Chebitwey among others.
Leading the members challenge will be some of the club’s leading amateurs such as Mike Ngene, Michael Karanga, veteran David Ndirangu and the “Mountain Tigers’’ led by their chairman Paul Kaumbutho.
Most of the leading lady golfers will be at the neighbouring Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club for the Ladies Open, hence lady captain Anne Ngumba will lead the hunt for the ladies prize.
At the par 72 Thika Greens Golf Resort course, which was the venue for last weekend's third leg of the Inter County golf series, it will be the turn for the Ladies Medal event Friday afternoon where a huge field of 178 players including men.
According to lady captain Mary Maingi, an array of prizes will be at stake for both ladies and men in the event being sponsored by former Kigumo Member of Parliament Jamleck Kamau.
It will be double celebration for the main sponsor Kamau, himself a golfer and who will also be celebrating his birthday, as well as his recent appointment as the new chairman of TARDA (Tana and Athi River Development Authority).
The event, the second ladies medal this year at Thika Greens, which has attracted some of the leading lady golfers of the likes of Vet Lab’s Agnes Nyakio, Mercy Nyanchama, Mary Karano, is also being sponsored by Platinum, Safaricom and Carole Kinoti.
“The course at the moment is in an excellent condition and a lot will be at stake during the day," said Maingi, who is also a past lady captain at Vet Lab Sports Club.
The men golfers who have been invited to join the ladies include some of the professionals who did not travel to Nakuru for the KCB Road to Karen Masters series.
Those are Simon Ngige, Sullivan Muthugia and Sam Kamau from Thika Sports Club, as well as Malindi-based Samson Mapinga.
Limuru’s James Karanja and John Kagiri, Kopan Timbe, and Paul Thuo are also in the mix.
The men amateurs drawn include Kirinyaga Senator Charles Kibiru, and two members of Parliament, Caleb Kositany (Soy) and Kanini Kega (Kieni).
Meanwhile, action continues at Ruiru Sports Club this weekend with a field of 150 players drawn for the Ngao Credit tournament being sponsored by leading Micro Finance Institution, Ngao Credit.
At Kenya Railway Golf Club, which was the venue for last weekend's Railway Invitation, will stage the Heineken Festival of Golf being sponsored and run by Mark Global Africa, who are making a grand entry into the field of golf in the country.
Besides this weekend’s event, other events in the series will be held at Vet Lab, Muthaiga, Limuru, and Royal Nairobi Golf Clubs.
Plenty of Mbuzi and Heineken will be available during the event. Away in Machakos, 100 players will be battling it out for a number of prizes in the inaugural SBM golf tournament where besides local golfers, the event has also attracted players from Golf Park and Kenya Air Force.
