South Africa-based Nduva can't wait to tee off again

What you need to know:

  • The 24-year-old Nduva, a member of Nyali Golf and Country Club here at home, currently ranked 462 in the world and number two in Kenya, says he last played a round of golf eight weeks ago.

    Nation Sport understands golfers back in Kenya at least play a round of golf every week minus the services of caddies.

  • In an interview with the Nation Sport from his base in South Africa, Nduva said he hardly leaves the house.

One of Kenya’s leading amateur golfers Daniel Nduva has said he cannot wait for normalcy to return as he continues to stay home under the lockdown occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic at his base Johannesburg South Africa.

The 24-year-old Nduva, a member of Nyali Golf and Country Club here at home, currently ranked 462 in the world and number two in Kenya, says he last played a round of golf eight weeks ago.

Nation Sport understands golfers back in Kenya at least play a round of golf every week minus the services of caddies.

In an interview with the Nation Sport from his base in South Africa, Nduva said he hardly leaves the house.

“I have been keeping well. I stay in an apartment and I can’t do much in terms of golf except do a few drills. I am not even able to swing my driver, but wedges around the house," said Nduva, who hopes to turn professional at the end of his studies towards the end of 2020.

“The last time I played golf was eight weeks ago as we have been on a lockdown level five which went down to level four recently, though its tight and moving around is not easy."

Nduva won the 2019 Uganda Open amateur title and later on finished second in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) Order of Merit, four points behind the 2019 top amateur Samuel Njoroge of Kenya Railway Golf Club.

That position earned him a place in the 2020 Magical Kenya Open, a European Tour event, which had been scheduled for March 12-15 at Karen Country Club and which was postponed because of the health crisis.

Nduva says he has been doing well in his studies. “We have been doing online classes which is not too bad. I am hoping to be done with studies this year so that next year I go full time on golf. My plan is to turn professional at the end though with this current situation I don’t know if it will be possible, but we will see."

Nduva, who featured in most of the 2019/2020 Safari Tour events in Kenya and in Uganda, said he was raring to go at the Magical Kenya Open.

“I was playing well and was leading in the Order of Merit in my academy. I was in good form and could not wait to get back home and fly our national flag high at the Open. I am praying that the coronavirus goes away so that the Open comes back and I will be ready for it by then," added Nduva, who is studying a PGA diploma at the Balderstone Sports Institute, a Multi-Sport Performance Training and Education Institute in Gauteng.

He says there is very little movement allowed in South Africa. All shops are closed apart from grocery stores. “Hopefully, golf will be opened soon in the country so that I may resume full time training and put myself ready for competitive golf."

Besides Nduva and Samuel Njoroge of Kenya Railway Golf Club, other amateur golfers who had qualified for the Magical Kenya Open include Kenya Amateur Match Play Championship winner Paul Muchangi of Limuru, and two leading juniors - Taimur Malik and Mutahi Kibugu of Muthaiga Golf Club.

They were to be joined by leading Tanzania amateur Victor Joseph of Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club who won last year’s Kenya Amateur Stroke Play championship title.