ANIL SHAH STUNS FAVOURITES TO CLAIM KCB REGIONAL TITLE AT NYALI
WINNER'S SMILE: Royal's Anil Shah (R) smiles while receiving the winners prize from KCB head Martin Oduor Otieno at the Nyali Golf Club.
By KGG CORRESPONDENT
Royal’s Anil Shah is the new top golfer in the region after winning the 2011 KCB East Africa Golf Tour Finals on Saturday, when he defeated fellow young and talented golfers in a tight duel at the Nyali Golf Club. In his quest to deliver low scores, Anil shot one under par 70 for a cumulative total of 2 over par 286 made of 70, 72, 74 and 70 to claim the title of the 8 rounds regional event. This victory earned him Kshs 400,000.
“This is the best win in my career because I fought against the top talented youngsters in the country and this has proved to me that am still hanging there on top with the best golfers. To win this tournament was unbelievable.” Said Anil Shah.
Anil said he has been working on his form after he came second in Kampala and this was witnessed at Nyali after he fashioned the first and second round and made three birdies on the final round for one under par 70. On the last day of the final event, Anil had a very steady outward nine where he made 1 under par 35. At the inward nine he dropped two shots each on hole thirteen and fourteen but secured birdies on the twelfth and seventeenth to wrap up with level par 35 and a total of 1 under par 70.
Anil, who has been studying for his PGA course will use the money to go play a tour in Dubai in October. Mumias Dismas Indiza netted the best score of the tournament after he produced a superb eagle three on the par 5 hole eleven for 5 under par 67 to jointly tie at second position with Simon Ngige and Ngugi Njuguna. The ties at 4 over par 288 after four rounds saw the three golfers secure cash reward of Kshs 241,120. However, the greatest beneficiary of the KCB sponsored event was Dismaz Indiza who rocked top in the Order of Merit with 137.5 points to receive another Kshs 200,000 bonus. Indiza fought to finish among the top despite being involved in a grisly accident in Nakuru last week when he was traveling to play in the KCB Grand finals in Mombasa. He sustained no injuries.
Uganda’s prolific golfer, Deo Akope who won round seven of the series in Kampala managed a joint fifth position after collecting 5 over par 290 made of 73, 75, 71 and 71 but nevertheless, he took home a cheque of Kshs 183,320. Akope tied with day one leader Rizwan Charania the Professional Golfers of Kenya Captain also profiting with a similar amount.
Youngster Greg Snow fresh from participating in an England tour, tumbled down the leader board to settle for the seventh position with 7 over par 292 made of 72, 70, 74 and 76. Brian Njoroge finished eighth with 8 over par 293 beating Nakuru’s left-hander Richard Ainley by one stroke. Nyanza Golf Club pro managed to romp home in the top ten after he produced 10 over par 295 beating Rwanda’s Emanuel Ruterana and Jacob Okello by a single stroke.
A total of Kshs 3 million was won in the grand finals of the lucrative KCB East African Golf Tour and a total of over Kshs 8 million for the eight rounds of the series. The KCB East African Golf Tour 2011 has been a culmination of a lot of effort to nurture the KCB Pro-Am golf series into an international standard golf tour along the lines of the US-PGA Tour and the European Tour.
The series featured professional golfers play in eight tournaments that took players around Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) Chairman Cheran Thethy lamented that professional golf is getting bigger and better thanks to the KCB East Africa Tour sponsorship. “ In one year, over five new professional golfers have joined PGK.” Said the Chairman Cheran Thethy.
KCB Group Chief Executive Officer Dr. Martin Oduor-Otieno promised that the bank will continue sponsoring the tour next year while he presided over the colorful prize giving ceremony at the Nyali golf club, Mombasa.