Pros set for “Road to Karen Masters’’ series second leg
What you need to know:
- Among the pros drawn in Monday’s 11am tee off, include Royal Nairobi’s Erick Ooko, who won the first leg at the tough playing Vet Lab Sports Club course, where he beat Sigona’s John Wangai by two shots.
- Ooko fired rounds of 74, 73 and 73, while Wangai, who started with a poor 79, fired one under par 71 and level 72 to finish second. Being at home this week, Wangai, will probably be the man to beat.
It is a full house at Sigona on Monday morning as the par 72 Sigona course hosts the second leg of the local professional golfers’ “Road to Karen Masters’’ series.
At least 32 pros were drawn in the three rounds event, where in addition to earning some points towards the Sunshine Tour sanctioned Karen Masters, the pros will also play for a Sh250,000 purse.
Among the pros drawn in Monday’s 11am tee off, include Royal Nairobi’s Erick Ooko, who won the first leg at the tough playing Vet Lab Sports Club course, where he beat Sigona’s John Wangai by two shots.
Ooko fired rounds of 74, 73 and 73, while Wangai, who started with a poor 79, fired one under par 71 and level 72 to finish second. Being at home this week, Wangai, will probably be the man to beat.
He has always played well at Sigona and so is Mathew Omondi formerly a pro at Sigona now based at Vet Lab.
Incidentally, Ooko, Thika’s Simon Ngige and Zambia based Anil Shah are excempted from qualifying since they have been participating in the Sunshine Tour events.
Also exempted are Mohit Mediratta and Windsor’s Riz Charania who made the cut during this year’s Kenya Open at Muthaiga.
Those chasing for the 25 slots on offer include Wangai himself, who is also the captain of the Professional Golfers of Kenya(PGK) captain, long hitting Dismas Indiza, Mathew Omondi, David Opati, and Railway’s Alfred Nandwa.
From Sigona, the series will move to Muthaiga for the third leg on June 11 and finally to the venue of the Masters, Karen Country Club on June 24 and July 8 for the final two legs of the series.
Wangai said the Sigona course though still playing long because of the on-going rains, is in great condition, though one will have to stay on the fairways in order to produce good rounds.
The second edition of the Karen Masters, which is being sponsored by KCB and at stake is Sh15 million, is set for July 19 to 22 with the Pro-Am set for July 17.
