GET IN: Kiambu's ladiy Captain June Waweru follows her putt on the 18th green during the weekend tournament..

By CYNTHIA OMBATI
An eagle at hole 10 propelled home player Alvin Gakele to a famous victory in the sixteenth leg of the 2011/2012 Safaricom Business Golf Challenge played at the nine hole Kiambu Sports Club at the weekend.
Alvin playing off handicap 24 posted an impressive 42 stable ford points to reign supreme in the day long competition that had attracted more than 130 golfers.
The win secures him a ticket to the tournament’s Grand Finals to be held at Vipingo Ridge, Mombasa on April 28.
Despite staying away from the course for one year and still enjoying his high handicap, Alvin who returned to the Course three months ago managed to maintain his initial Handicap often but has now chopped to 20.
“I played an easy beautiful game, always staying on the fairways, chipping well and my putting was fantastic. I am now looking forward to playing in the grand finals in Vipingo Ridge and who knows I might as well return magnificent score,” he said on receiving his sponsored ticket to the Finale from Safaricom Business Development Manager, Romuald Maina.
He embarked on the outward nine with a bogey followed by a par on the second, bogey on the third before sinking a birdie on the downhill par three hole four.
He then pared the fifth, dropped a short each on the sixth and seventh, before recovering with a birdie on the eight and an easy par on the ninth to record 21 points.
At the inward nine, he fired an eagle three and followed it with consecutive pars on the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth and a short dropped on eighteenth for a total 22 points.
Thomas Kimari followed closely with a tie of 42 points but defeated on count back by Alvin.
Kimari playing off handicap 19 posted two birdies to combine 23 and 19 points in each nine to also book a ticket to the Grand Finale.
Home club Stephen Karanja playing off handicap 3 sunk two birdies to collect 41 points and secure the third position.
Purit Mwangi playing off 28 finished fourth while long hitter and also the club’s Vice Chairman Dr.Paul Murumba was fifth.
Leonard Wachira took home the guest prize, while the longest Drive men’s prize went to John Ngure and Catherine Ngurani took the longest drive ladies prize.
Nearest to pin went to John Machua on 9.5 win while Alex Mwangi won the junior prize.
In the caddie’s competition, Lawrence Ngige playing off 2 was unbeatable after posting 40 points.
The seventeenth edition and the last one before the grand finale will be staged in Royal Golf Club on the 17th March 2012.Close to 200 golfers are expected to battle it out for the Grand finale slot at the venue. michael kors outlet michael kors outlet

EYEING FINALE: Jatinder Thethy follows his tee shot during the weekend event at Royal Club.

By DISMAS ONYANGO

The final qualification round in the Tusker Malt Golf Carnival Championship was held at Kenya’s oldest golf club, the Royal Nairobi Golf Club, this past weekend, and with it, the final five teams into the Tusker Malt Golf Carnival Grand Finale were unveiled.

With a huge field of over 230 golfers participating, this final qualification round was understandably hotly contested; and with daytime temperatures on the golf course reaching a high of 31-degrees and a strong northwesterly breeze blowing for most of the afternoon, victory was a sweaty affair! In the end, the all-lady team of Madhu Sharma and Fridah Shiroya, playing off handicaps of 30 and 14 respectively posted hot-scores of 25 points on each nine for a total of 50 stable points, a new high on the Tusker Malt Golf Carnival. The pair made net-par through the first two holes and followed this with net-bogey from the par-four third through to the par-three sixth. On the long par-five seventh and the equally long par-four ninth, Shiroya made use of her long driving skills to reach the green on regulation and made par. At the par-three eighth, one of the hardest short holes at Royal, the pair just managed to make bogey. On the back nine, the pair failed to make par through to the 14^th hole, however on the par-five 15^th, Shiroya once more found the green on regulation and an easy par was the result. The pairs only poor score was on the par-four 16^th where they both made double bogey. On the par-three 17^th, Sharma narrowly missed birdie and on the final hole, the 18^th and with a huge gallery watching from the clubhouse, Sharma drained a 21-foot putt for bogey to complete what was a truly brilliant round.

Commenting after their round, seasoned sports administrator and now Tusker Malt Golf Carnival victor, Fridah Shiroya, said the golf course was extra tough in the hot conditions. “This was a tough round of golf, the lies on the fairway were tight, the wind was unpredictable and the heat was rather suffocating,” Shiroya said. “Thankfully, we combined well with Sharma and where I failed to perform well, she came to the rescue and vice versa, that is the power of team partnerships.”  The Tusker Malt Golf Carnival is being played in the four ball better ball format.

The team of Joyce Ndirangu and Josiah Kogo, playing of handicaps of 29 and five respectively, huffed and puffed their way round the golf course, enduring the afternoon heat and their excellent score of 46 points secured second place beating the pair of Jonathan Chege and Gian Badhan on count-back. The team of Jayantil Hindocha and Beatrice Kamau finished in fourth place with 45 points beating the team of Kunal Shah and Mukesh Shah on countback. The guest winners were Lloyd Weru and Tirus Muithiga with 45 points.

The Tusker Malt Golf Carnival now moves to the Muthaiga Golf Club for the Grand Finale on the 14^th of April 2012. Winners of the Carnival will win an expense paid golf trip to a destination yet to be unveiled. canada goose damen canada goose damen