KTB’S ‘TEMBEA KENYA’ GOLF ACTION MOVES TO VET LAB
Home player D. Ooko prepares to tee off during the fifth leg of the KTB sponsored ‘Tembea Kenya’ Golf Series at Sigona Golf Club last weekend. Vet Lab hosts tomorrow’s leg.
By DANIELLA APIYO
‘Tembea Kenya’ golf series continues on Friday with it’s sixth leg at the Vet Lab Golf Club where a field of at least 180 participants are expected to take part.
This will be the next stop of the golf tourism action which teed off with the Limuru leg in October before it moved to Nyali Golf and Country Club, then Nakuru, Nyanza and Sigona being the last venue last weekend.
During last weekend’s leg in Sigona, home player Fan Li emerged the overall winner, ruling the roost on a score of 44 stableford points, the best so far since the series teed off, beating Nyanza’s Elizabeth Akinyi’s initial mark of 42 points.
According to Vet Lab’s leading amateur Robinson Owiti, the course is in one of its best conditions but warned players not to expect an easy round owing to the designs made to increase the challenges.
“We have just had Kenya Golf Union (KGU) officials do ratings on the course today and they have given it thumbs up. The course is in a superb condition. The greens are, however, very fast because of the sand used to make them up to international standards but the rough should not be of much worry because they are medium sized and the fairways are in great shape with balls running well,” said Owiti.
He added: “Players teeing off in the afternoon must be wary of the strong winds especially on holes four, five, six, seven and 15. Three notorious holes regarded as the toughest on the course are also likely to see many players drop their shots. They are the second hole which is a par four and has a slope on the green, par four third hole which is a strike index two and par four holes 17 which is a dog leg stroke index one hole.
KTB Company Secretary Allan Njoroge said: “At KTB we have over the last five years spent over Ksh. 40 million towards promotion of golf across the country and internationally through publication of golf publicity materials, hosting of international golf journalists on tours of our courses, holding of golf festivals and tournament sponsorship. Kenya’s main markets for golf tourism are in Europe, Middle East and Africa which have a combined eight million golfers of which at least 30 per cent take golf tours.”
Some of the players expected to spice-up the day long competition include Koome Mwambia, Kepha Bosire, former Cabinet Minister Musikari Kombo and top lady golfer Mary Karano among others.
From Vet Lab, the action will move to Eldoret Golf Club on December 20 for the final leg of the series.