By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Golf enthusiasts are in for a treat of world-class golf action when the 84th Masters Tournament is held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, United States, from today Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 November 2020.

This weekend, SuperSport is definitely your #HomeOfSport and the ultimate destination for golf fans for unrivalled, 4-day coverage of the Masters in full High Definition (HD).

Speaking on the side lines of the MultiChoice Kenya Festive campaign, MultiChoice Kenya Corporate Affairs Manager, Philip Wahome who himself is a renowned golfer, hailed DStv value-for-money proposition in granting customers the best content and in the process enriching customers’ lives.

“Our mission is to deliver value to our customers by making great entertainment more accessible.

We find and develop the right mix of content and deliver it to Kenyans – anytime, anywhere,” said Wahome.

The 2020 Masters was originally scheduled to take place in April, but the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic forced a postponement and means that this year’s edition will be held without spectators in attendance.

The defending champion is Tiger Woods, who won his fifth Green Jacket in 2019 by one stroke ahead of three runners-up. It left him one shy of Jack Nicklaus; record six Masters wins, and three short of his record 18 major wins.

At age 43, Woods became the second oldest winner, again only bettered by Nicklaus, who won at age 46. It was 11 years after his last major win, the 2008 U.S. Open, and 14 years since his last Masters win, beating the previous record of 13 years held by Gary Player.

Woods struggled for form at his last outing, the Zozo Championship in October, and skipped the PGA Tour& Houston Open to prepare for the Masters.

“I did not drive the ball and didnt hit my irons close enough consistently,” Woods said. “The only thing I can take out of this week that I did positively, I feel like each and every day and pretty much every hole is, I putted well. I feel like I rolled it great.”

One of the major threats to Woods; hopes of a title defence may come from Patrick Cantlay, the 28-year-old American who triumphed at the Zozo Championship ahead of Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas.

It was the third victory of his career, and first in his home state of California. All three required making up deficits of three shots or more in the final round. “I put in a lot of work and try to do the right things all the time, so when it all does come together, its really rewarding because its all that hard work paying off,” Cantlay said.

Dustin Johnson is another to look out for, having ramped up his form in recent weeks as he jostles with the likes of Rahm and Thomas at the top of golf’s world rankings.

“The more you play [at Augusta], the kind of the more comfortable you get around this golf course you know what tee shots and where to hit it and the flags and kind of how to attack the golf course,” Johnson said of playing in The Masters.

“So that plays a part in it. Then I think just me as a golfer getting better and kind of just all throughout the whole game, just having more confidence, hitting it better, driving it better, doing everything a little bit better always helps around here.”

David Wakhu with the Safari Golf Tour trophy at Sigona Golf Club today.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Golf Park’s David Wakhu was the last man standing in the battle for the Safari Tour series’ fourth leg trophy after fighting a close battle with club-mate Eric Ooko and Vet Lab’s Edwin Mudanyi at the par 72 Sigona Golf course.

He carded one over par 73, on the final round played today, despite missing several birdie chances, for a final score of one under par 287. His final score was three better than Mudanyi and Ooko who were joined in second place by Mumias’ Dismas Indiza at two over par 290.

Playing in the last team with Mudanyi and Ooko, Wakhu started well picking up a birdie at the first hole, but almost lost it after hitting three straight bogeys from the par three-fifth. He closed the first nine with a birdie at the down-hilly ninth which revived his quest for a first victory since Nyali Golf and Country Club in 2019. He set off for the back nine with a birdie at the 10th and seven pars that gave him one over par 73.

“I almost lost focus after the three bogeys in a row. I was focusing on my competition as opposed to my game. The birdie at the ninth brought me back to the game. I hit the left side bunker at the fifth, and though I came out well, did not manage to save a par. I must say my game is getting better after fixing my elbow, and I am now left to deal with my heel which is still problematic. I am now more confident and looking forward to playing well in the Uganda Open,” said Wakhu adding that landing sponsorship would immensely help his game.

It was, however, a tough final round for both Mudanyi and Ooko who carded identical four over par 76 to tie for the second place. On his part, Indiza fired one over par 73 for an all rounds total of two over par 290.

“I had a very slow start as I was three over par in the first four holes though I made a birdie at the fifth, but hit two bogeys at the sixth and seventh largely because of my take off from the tee. I made a birdie at the ninth and 10th and I played well up to the 16th when everything suddenly went crazy. I am, however, happy because I played better than Vet Lab. Now I need to put little more effort in my game as I prepare for Uganda Open,’’ said Mudanyi.

KGU chairman who is also a Kenya Open Golf Limited director Peter Kiguru hands a dummy cheque to David Wakhu the Safari tour winner at Sigona Golf Club today.

Ooko, on the other hand, blamed his poor finish on the back nine where he missed many birdie opportunities. He, however, believes finishing on under par in the next tournament is possible for him.

“I am getting back to the game after this long wait occasions by this pandemic and I must thank our Golf Park members for giving us great support. I would also like to thank a Royal member Robert Keter for supporting me at Vet Lab. It made a whole world of difference to my performance’,” said Ooko reiterating Wakhu’s need for sponsorship going forward.

The 31 year old started with a bogey at the first hole, and dropped two more shots on the fifth, and seventh. He made birdies at the fourth, fifth and the ninth. He, however, lost it at the back nine where he bogeyed five holes with only two birdies at the 15th and the 18th where he missed a two by a foot for an easy birdie.

While Wakhu took home the top prize of Sh150,000 the three second placed players earned Sh85,000 each. A total of 24 players including three amateurs had made the second round cut where winning the amateur title back to back was Nyali’s Adel Balala on 12 over par 300 after a 78 in the closing round.