Top guns begin hunt for Diani Beach Masters

The stage is set for Kenya’s professional golfers as they converge on the par 72 Leisure Lodge Beach and Golf Resort course in hunt for the Diani Beach Masters "Jacket" plus cash prizes in this year’s event.

At least most of the pros who include some from Zimbabwe and Tanzania were at Leisure Lodge for Thursday’s practice round in preparation for the battle where at stake is a prize fund of Sh1 million courtesy of the main sponsors Prime Bank who have been supporting the event over the past three years.

A total of 38 pros were drawn for Friday’s first round and will be joined by 120 amateurs drawn from several clubs in the country with Machakos Golf Club leading with the highest number of entries.

By the time the draw was being done on Wednesday, Machakos had 38 players who were listed to vie for the overall title in the amateur event which will be played over two rounds.

The Machakos entrants include some of the club’s single figure handicap golfers like Jackson Nzioki, James Ndunda and Francis Njeru. Other leading amateurs also eyeing the title including Tanzania’s amateur champion Victor Joseph of Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club - who is following in the foot-steps of former Diani Beach Masters winner Hassan Kadio - now a pro.

Joseph - who also participated in the Uganda Open two weeks ago - will besides home players like Allan Haballa, face other Kenyan amateurs such as Kenya Railway Golf Club’s Samuel Njoroge, Simon Njogu (Rift Valley Resort), Kevin Juma (Royal Nairobi), Gurbux Singh and Sammy Mulama from Nyali among others.

INDIZA IN ACTION

The format for the amateur event will be stableford off full handicap, which is likely to favour the middle and high handicappers.

Leading the pros in the 54-hole pro event will be Thika Sports Club’s Simon Ngige who beat Dismas Indiza to the Jacket plus the top cash prize of Sh110,000 last year after the Mumias-based pro bogeyed a number of holes in the final round.

Ngige was one of those Kenyans who made cut during last week’s Uganda Open at Entebbe Golf Club Uganda where he tied for eighth place on 288 with Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi. The long-hitting Indiza produced an impressive 10 under par 274 to take home the top prize of Sh1 million.

Indiza, has been enjoying an excellent form over the past one month and will be the man to watch this weekend at Leisure. Besides Ngige, other challengers will be Muthaiga’s Greg Snow - who finished second in Uganda on an impressive score of six under par 278.

Royal Nairobi’s Eric Ooko, Railway’s Alfred Nandwa, Mathew Omondi of Vet Lab, Nyali’s Njuguna Ngugi, the Great Rift Valley Golf Resort’s Justus Madoya and David Wakhu (Golf Park) have also been producing impressive scores over the past few events they have played.

The course, according to leisure golf manager John Davis, is currently in great condition following the recent rains though those who will stay on the fairways and read the greens well, will enjoy the weekend outing.

In the ladies national calendar, Kenya’s leading lady amateurs will be at Vet Lab for the Kenya Ladies Strokeplay Championship where Kitale’s Naomi Wafula - fresh from her one shot victory in Nakuru last weekend - will be among the players to watch.

Champion Madina Iddi from Tanzania’s Arusha Gymkhana will face stiff competition from Wafula, Eldoret’s Esther Chumo, Nakuru’s Esther Karuga, home players Mary Karano, Agnes Nyakio, lady captain Rachel Ndei, Golf Park’s Mercy Nyanchama and Ashley Awuor, Naomi Wakesho and compatriot Vicky Elias.

Meanwhile, Muthaiga Golf Club will host the annual Bull in Season popularly known as the “Golf marathon’’ where a field of 47 will be engaged in a 54-hole battle from 6am. In Limuru, a field of 200 players was drawn for the Safaricom Golf Day.