Ruiru Sports Club captain, Peter Mwaura in action during the KCB Road to Masters at Ruiru golf club on Saturday.

By DANIELLA APIYO

58-year-old Christopher Kiai served notice to the country’s golfing fraternity, when he sank a birdie on the par 4 hole 7 to win the opening round of KCB Road to the Masters on Saturday 12^th May 2018.

The avid golfer was unstoppable overcoming a strong field of 272 golfers to be crowned the overall winner at the par 72 Ruiru golf club. Playing off handicap 16 Kiai, beat Michael Chege on the countback.

“This was my ultimate goal in golf and I am very excited to win a ticket to the prestigious KCB Karen Masters 2018, I played with great focus and I am very ecstatic to be crowned the winner”, said Chris.

He played 4 bogeys in a row followed by a double bogey before sinking a birdie on the par 4 hole 7. In the back nine, he sank 4 pars and 5 bogeys playing 5 over par to shoot a flawless 40 stable fold points.

KCB Group Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Judith Sidi Odhiambo lauded the golfers for turning up in large numbers for the KCB event.

“It was an enthralling day of successful KCB golf action and we are grateful to 272 golfers from across Kenya golf clubs who honored our invitation, As KCB Group, golf is one of the avenues of interacting with our customers and appreciating them for supporting our business”, said Judith.

Michael Chege matched Kia’s record of best 40 playing 8 pars to be crowned the men winner. George Keeru also won a ticket to the KCB Karen Masters after bagging the men’s runners up award carding 39 points. Bernard Kotony was crowned the staff winner while Frank Munyua and Linus Wachira won the 1^st and 2^nd nine awards respectively.

Ruiru Sports Club Lady Captain Veronica Mwaura was crowned the lady winner after carding an impressive 37 points while Susan Kanyora bagged a double in the lady runners up and nearest to the pin ladies awards.

In other results announced on Saturday evening by the club’s captain Mr. Mwaura Kimani, Ben Njuguna won nearest pin to the pin men, Francis Nzwili longest drive winner men while Lucy Njuguna bagged the longest drive lady award.

“It is the most incredible outing in the history of Ruiru Sports Club, we are grateful to KCB for their sponsorship and robust support over the years”, said Kimani.

The next round of KCB Road to the Masters will tee off at Limuru golf club on the 26^th May 2018. Six golfers from each club will earn a direct ticket to the KCB Karen Masters Pro-Am tournament.

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Top amateur and national team player Edwin Mudanyi (left) at a past tournament.

By DANIELLA APIYO

The Kenya National Golf Team will miss the Africa Zone V Golf Championships for the first team in nineteen years.

Ironically, the team is crippled due to lack of finance, just weeks after the corporate world and government splashed millions of Shillings into The Kenya Open Golf Championships which lasted for four days at the Muthaiga Golf Club.

Various government agencies splashed over Sh100 million into the annual leg of the European Challenge Tour last month but now the national team which represents the country, is unable to travel to Harare, Zimbabwe to honour the Zone Five event.

Ordinarily, the government through Sports Kenya takes care of preparations, travel and accommodation of all national teams but the Kenya Golf Union (KGU) players will have to sit this one out as money was not availed from the government.

KGU chairman Richard Wanjala, however, absolved the government from blame over the debacle saying the union failed to give a budget to the government in good time. “The government has been very supportive to the sport for the past two years providing air tickets and other forms of assistance to national teams. I have no doubt they would have done the same for this tournament,” Wanjala said.

KGU Chairman Richard Wanjala.

He added: “A number of reasons culminated in Kenya not being represented in the championships but all is not lost. First, Kenya is no longer in Zone Five. A new Zone, Four, has been created comprising eight countries therefore our right of participation in Zone five ceased. We could only do so upon invitation. The new Zone Four ought to organize its equivalent tournament instead.”

“We are all disappointed of course but not a single player had been named as part of the team. From the onset there were doubts over our participation so we did not go for it. The only neighbouring country that sent a team is Uganda,” Wanjala said

The new zone is made up of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Madagascar, Re Union Islands with Sudan still hesitant on joining. Rwandan Doctor Kash and Githiaka Muchau of Kenya are the chairman and secretary general of the new zone. The duo will serve a two-year term in which the Zone Four secretariat ought to be fully functional with Kenya as its base. nike air max trainers nike air max trainers