Kenya Open Golf Limited Chairman Peter Kanyago tees off from the KICC rooftop during the launch of the 50th edition of the Kenya Open today.

By DANIELLA APIYO

Local professional golfers seem to be on a collision path again with the organisers of this year’s Kenya Open Golf Championships to be held at the Muthaiga Golf Club between March 22 and 25.

This emerged today during the official launch of the premier competition at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala announced that they were keen to use the event which is part of the European Tour to market the country as Africa’s destination for golf tourism.

While tournament sponsors Barclays used the launch to introduce a qualifying series, the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) led by their captain Charan Thethy vowed not to participate in the Barclays series and instead would go ahead with there self organised qualifiers which teed off last weekend at Muthaiga.

“We have been given 22 slots for local professionals, so the tournament organisers should wait for PGK to give them the 22 names. How we make the names, we know better,” Thethy said.

He added: “We know nothing about the launched Barclays series, but all I can say is that we have our own qualifiers which will culminate with the Jamii Masters in Sigona on March 13-15. We have been playing the qualifiers without any sponsorship and we continue.”

Kenya Open Golf Limited Director Kathleen Kihanya tees off from the KICC rooftop during the launch of the 50th edition of the Kenya Open today.

Contrary to PGK’s plan, Barclays, the title sponsors of the Kenya Open have indicated that their Sh 32 million sponsored series will feature the Nairobi Open at the Karen Golf Club on February 2, followed by the Nakuru Open at the Nakuru Golf Club February 10, then the Kisumu Golf Open at the Nyanza Golf Club on February 24. These will be followed by the Pwani Open at the Nyali Golf Club on March 3 and then the Mt. Kenya Open at the Thika Golf Club on March 10.

Kenya has been handed 22 slots for the professionals and six for amateurs but only 18 are being contested for as four professionals have made the cut to feature in the challenge tour.

The four include Mumias’ Dismas Indiza, Thika’s Simon Ngige and Windsor’s Riz Charania who made the cut in last year’s edition of the Open while Stephan Andersen has been handed a wild card for his current form and performance in the just concluded BMW South Africa Open held in January 11-14.

Meanwhile, following the president’s directive to have the prize money for the Open increased, the government has sponsored the event to a tune of Sh 102.3 million (1million dollars) for a period of five years.

The increase in prize money aims at raising the bar of the championship, increasing participation of local players and attracting a higher caliber of players from across the globe which will result in golf development from the junior ranks to the elite amateurs across the country. It will also go a long way in marketing the country as a tourism destination.

On their part Barclays has committed a total Sh82 million this year, comprising Sh50 million for Barclays Kenya Open sponsorship and the Sh32 million meant for the qualifying series. nike air max junior nike air max junior

John Karichu celebrates after sinking a putt at a past tournament.

By KGG CORRESPONDENT

Defending champion John Karichu of Limuru Country Club on Sunday beat Kenya Amateur strokeplay champion Daniel Nduva in the second hole of a sudden-death play-off to retain Sigona Bowl golf title at Sigona Golf Club.

According to Nation, the two leading amateurs in Kenya had tied on five over par 221 gross at the close of regulation play, and proceeded to a play off. They tied with a par in the first hole of the play off before Karichu parred after firing a four iron and pitching wedge in the second hole.

Nduva overshot the green, chipped back to about 15 feet and missed a par narrowly to settle for the second place in the season-opener sponsored by Kibo Sports Limited for the 20th year running.

Before the play off, Karichu had posted four over par 76 to bring his score to 221, while Nduva had fired level par 72.

“It was a tough round, particularly playing with Nduva although my game has been good since the December,” Karichu, who had double-bogeyed the 11th after dropping shots at the fifth and ninth holes and later at the 16th, said.

Nduva said his first round score of 77 after a slow play messed up his plans for the title.

“We had to wait at every hole in the first round, although I played well in the second and final rounds,’’ Nduva, who birdied four holes but against four bogeys, said.

Finishing third on 223 points was Royal Nairobi’s Dennis Saikwa. Saikwa’s club-mate, Jay Sandhu, took the first round gross on 74, while the second and third rounds went to Peter Rimui and Samuel Njoroge of Railway.

Taking the overall net title in the event which attracted a field of 140 was Keval Shah of Sigona with 219 nett after beating Deep Shah, also of Sigona, on countback. The 13-year-old Leo Zurovac of Vet Lab was third with a score of 222 nett. The round one nett title went to Limuru’s Brian Njoroge on 73.

David Bailey and Reuben Langat won the second and third nett titles on 71 nett each.

The second leg of the 19-event Kenya Amateur Golf Championship series will be the Mt Kenya Championship at Nyeri Golf Club on February 3 and 4. cheap air max mens cheap air max mens