Saturday, 05 February 2011 09:30
The hunt for points in the 2011 begins this weekend with the Mount Kenya Championship at the nine-hole Nyeri Golf Club where a field of 59 was drawn for the event being sponsored by the club.
The draw for this year’s tournament which is the first one in the Kenya Golf Union Golfer of The Year (GOTY) series, appear to have been done before the country’s top amateurs had confirmed their participation.
None of the leading golfers appears in the draw though most of them are reported to be heading to Nyeri for tournament where eight points will be at stake for the overall winner towards the GOTY series.
One of the top amateurs heading for Nyeri is defending champion Boniface Simwa from Vet Lab Sports Club. Simwa wound up the 2010 season with an impressive victory in the Nyali Open at Nyali Golf and Country Club Mombasa.
Early this month, Simwa and his partner Ali Orende gave their club its first Nairobi District Foursomes title. He has been in great form and he is certainly the an to watch in Nyeri this weekend.
Turned professional
Missing in Nyeri will however be Golfer of The Year 2010 champion Sullivan Muthugia from Thika Sports Club.
Muthugia turned professional soon after the Nyali Open and is among those battling it out at Thika Sports Club this weekend in the first leg of the KCB East Africa Golf Tour.
Meanwhile the lady golfers also start their 2011 Golfer of The Year calendar with the Sigona Ladies Open at Sigona Golf Club this weekend.
The series, sponsored by Basco Paints for the third year running, the event which marks its 30th anniversary this year, is open to all the lady golfers playing off handicap 35 and below.
It has attracted over 100 players who include the winner of the trophy for the past two years Vet Lab’s Mary Karano who is also the GOTY champion.
She will be challenged by among others Anjily Shah, Florence Maina, Jane Njoroge, Sarah Otolo, Agnes Wanjiru, Sigona lady captain Priya Shah and youngster Naomi Wafula from the Rose Naliaka Academy.
Basco Paints managing director Kamlesh Shah said Basco Paints was keen to support golf among ladies which is not as popular as the men’s.
He added that Basco Paints is engaged in long term sponsorships so as to create continuity and enable a greater impact hence the sponsorship for the third year running.
Courtesy NMG.