Naomi Wafula in action at the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort Safari Tour tournament.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Kenya will be represented by five golfers at the 2019 Magical Kenya Ladies Open staged on Vipingo Ridge’s PGA Baobab Course from 5th to 8th December 2019. Sponsored by Magical Kenya and Safaricom’s M-Pesa, the tournament will mark the first time the Ladies European Tour will be played in East Africa.
The five Kenyan players are Nyali Golf Club’s lady professional Bhavi Shah and amateurs Naomi Wafula, Agnes Nyakio, Mercy Nyanchama and Margaret Njoki. A spot check on the five ladies made for encouraging reading as they put the final touches to their preparations ahead of the tournament next week.
Golf Park’s amateur Naomi Wafula, fresh from playing at the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort leg of the Safari Tour golf series, expressed her delight in getting the opportunity to play at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open. “It is a great feeling to be invited to play at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open. It will be a great learning opportunity as I look to turn Pro in the near future.”
Speaking on her preparations, she said: “I am just back from playing in the Safari Tour at the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort. I’m currently working on my short game and look forward to a great showing at Vipingo Ridge.”
Vet Lab’s Mercy Nyanchama said “I am proud to represent Kenya in the competition and I look forward to playing alongside professionals from all over the world.”
“With the Ladies KGU calendar done for the year, I have been playing in several captain prize tournaments as well as getting several training rounds at my club in preparation for the MKLO. I am hoping to play well and looking to learn from the professionals as much as I can,” she added.
Sigona Golf Club’s Agnes Nyakio noted that the Magical Kenya Ladies Open is a big step up from what she has been accustomed to. “This will be the first time that I will be playing against professionals, apart from the few Pro-Ams I have played in, so it will be a big step up for me. As much as I have been working on my game, I have also put a lot of emphasis on my mental aspect, this being the Magical Kenya Ladies Open.”
Nyali Golf Club’s Bhavi Shah has so far played in two Safari Tour events in Nyali and at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club against male professionals in preparation for the event.
In a statement from the Kenya Ladies Golf Union, Chairperson Phyllis Kimbo said: “We are delighted that our Kenyan players have this chance to play with and learn from the best of the best. It really is a tremendous opportunity to be exposed to world-class golf and they will be able to interact with and pick up tips from the Ladies European Tour professionals. The tournament will motivate junior players and we encourage everyone to go and watch this wonderful event.”
“Kenya is honoured to host this prestigious ladies’ event and the Kenya Ladies Golf Union is extremely proud to have partnered with the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Heritage, the Ladies European Tour, Vipingo Ridge, M-Pesa and promoters U.COM. We are looking forward to an exciting week of top ladies golf,” she added.

Dismas Indiza the winner of the Great Rift valley Lodge & Golf Resort leg of the Safari tour poses with his trophy.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Veteran Mumias golfer Dismas Indiza is the winner of the just concluded Great RiftValley Lodge and Golf Resort safari tour title held in Naivasha today.
Indiza played a round of 1-under par, 70, to take his overall score to 1-over par, 285, earning him the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort, Safari tour title.
The hard hitting Indiza started the round, six strokes behind overnight leader, Simon Ngige and with the two drawn to play alongside each other from the last group, it was always going to be an exciting end to the tournament.
Ngige opened his round with a birdie on the par-4 first, with Indiza bogeying on the same. The scores were reversed on the par-4 second, as Indiza hit birdie with Ngige dropping a shot. Ngige would drop a further two shots on the third, with Indiza holding par.
It was still advantage Ngige through the first nine, as he did enough to hold off Indiza, despite dropping a shot at the seventh for a turning score of 2-over par, 37, with Indiza carding 1-over par, 36.
At the back nine, Indiza put the pedal to the metal, as Ngige simply failed to keep up.  The two matched each other through holes 10 to 12, posting scores of par, par and bogey. Apart from the par-4 sixteenth, it was the only time Ngige matched Indiza’s score on the back nine.

Dismas Indiza the winner of the Great Rift valley Lodge & Golf Resort leg of the Safari tour poses with his trophy.

A bogey and a double bogey on the fourteenth and fifteenth, by Ngige, respectively, as Indiza held par, saw the two go into the last three holes with Ngige holding a one shot lead.
They would both hold par at the sixteenth, before Indiza birdied the par-5, seventeenth, to tie for the lead heading to the last hole, the par-4, eighteenth. Ngige would hold on for par, as Indiza sunk a 10
foot putt for birdie and the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort, Safari tour title.
Speaking after the win, Indiza was pleasantly surprised to get his hands on his second Safari Tour title this season.
“I am very happy to win this leg of the Safari Tour, I actually had not realised that I had beaten Ngige and was preparing for a play off, only for Ngige to congratulate me at the end of the round.”said Indiza.

“It has been a challenging for the last four days, but I tried to maintain my game despite the changing weather and I am pleased with the result, I will keep working towards winning the other legs and ultimately qualifying for the 2020 Magical Kenya Open.” He added.
On his part, Ngige rued his missed chances, while congratulating Indiza for a great game, “I could have wrapped up the title at several points in the round, I started well but failed to keep up with Dismas, congratulations to him on a great round of golf.”he said.
Indiza pocketed Ksh 105,000 and a maximum 50 ‘Road to the 2020 Magical Kenya Open’ points, to take his total to 290.6 at the top of the standings,while Ngige walked away with Ksh 75,000 and posted 48 points to take him into third place on the Road to Kenya Open standings.
Nigeria’s Andrew Oche Odoh finished third, with a gross score of 4-over par, 288, two shots behind Ngige and three behind the winner.
With Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi came fourth, with a gross score of 292. Amateur Simon Njogu took full advantage of playing in his home club, to lift the silver salver, after finishing seventh on a score of 294.
Attention now shifts to the Muthaiga Golf Club which will host the seventh leg of the 2019/20 Safari Tour from December 14th to 17.