Nduva finally clinches 2018 Uhuru Shield

What you need to know:

  • Nduva recovers from a string of bogeys to eventually clinch the 2018 Uhuru Shield.
  • This was his second victory this year in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series.
  • Nduva to increase his gym work in order to gain the stamina he needs for international events.

South Africa based Daniel Nduva recovered from a string of bogeys including triple-bogey with eight holes to go, to eventually clinch the 2018 Uhuru Shield with at the par 72 Royal Nairobi Golf Club course on Sunday.

Playing with a borrowed set, the plus two handicap Nduva who is in a golf school in South Africa, dropped an early shot at the par four-first hole. He however recovered that shot with a birdie at the fourth and everything looked well up the par four-11th at the back nine where he drove out of bound, for a quick seven.

He dropped another bogey at the 14th, but birdied the 15th par five- a birdie he followed with two successive pars until at the home green where he dropped a shot for a third round four over par 76 which gave him an all rounds total of three over 219 to win by five shots from Limuru Country Club’s John Karichu.

“The course was playing very well though the morning rains made some of the greens difficult plus some tough pin positions, though I must I am very excited winning with some borrowed clubs’’ said Nduva who said his golf bag was left by Kenya Airways in South Africa despite having paid for them.
This was his second victory this year in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series. He finished in the season opener- Sigona Bowl, came third at Windsor and later won the Kenya Amateur Open Match Play Championship which enabled him to qualify for next year’s Kenya Open.
Currently ranked 41 in South Africa, Nduva said he will increase his gym work in order to gain the stamina he needs for international events like the Kenya Open. On the other hand, the former Golfer of The Year champion Karichu, bogeyed the first, fifth and eighth but made birdies on the second and fourth.
He dropped a shot at the 10th and late at the 18th with two birdies in between (13th and 14th) for one over par 73 and a 54-hole total of 224, beating the Great Rift Valley Golf Resort’s Simon Njogu on countback for the runner up prize.

Home player and round one leader Kevin Juma finished fourth overall though on the prize list, he could only go home with the round one prize on 74 while Simon Njogu and Mutahi Kibugu won the second and third gross rounds on 72 and 75 respectively.

In the handicap section (Nett) home player Joshua Ichangi, a son of former Royal Nairobi captain and Chairman Paul Ichangi won the overall nett title with an impressive score of 213 made up of 69, 69 and 75. In second place was Andrew Chelogoi from Eldoret with 219. The nett rounds winners were Victor Maiyo of Kericho on 69, Muthaiga’s Njoroge Kibugu on 68 and Ruiru’s Frank Munyuah on 71 nett.

The KAGC series winds up with the season’s grand finale, the Nyali Open at Nyali Golf and Country Club over the weekend of December 15 and 16.