Riz Charania poses with the Safari Tour Golf Series trophy after emerging winner of the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club leg of the Safari Tour series.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club’s Rizwan Charania returned a 1-under par 71 score on the final round of the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club leg of the Safari Tour Golf series to win the tournament with a total score of 3-under par 218.

On the first nine, he dropped shots on the par-3, fourth before quickly following it up with a birdie on the par-5, fifth. He then dropped a shot on the par-4, seventh to take hos total fot the first nine to 37; having held par on the rest of the holes.

On the back nine, he started off with a birdie on the par-4, 10^th before holing a bogey on the par-5, 12^th. He quickly remedied the situation with consecutive birdies on the par-3 13^th and the par-4, 14^th to finish the back nine with a total of 34; having held par on the rest of the holes.

Speaking after the round, Riz said: “I am delighted with this win as it is a result of the hard work which I have put into this leg of the Safari Tour golf series. It gives me a boost in confidence as we near the 2019 Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship which I look forward to participating in.”

This becomes the first Safari Tour win by Riz Charania; leaving him in a buoyant mood ahead of the Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship. For his achievement, Riz took home Sh450,000 in prize money.

On his part, Mumias Sugar’s, Dismas Indiza, returned a similar score for the round (1-under par 71) for a total tournament score of 1-under par 287 to finish second in the tournament and taking home Sh 300,000.

Riz Charania.

On the first nine, he started off with a bogey on the par-4, first before following it up with a birdie on the par-4, second. He dropped a shot on the par-5, third, but managed a birdie on the par-5, fifth for the total of 36 on the back nine; having held par on the rest of the holes.

On the back nine, he hit it off with a birdie at the par-4, 10^th but dropped shots on the par-5, 12^th and the par-4, 14^th. He followed it up with consecutive birdies on the par-5, 15^th and the par-4, 16^th for a total of 35 having held par on the rest of the holes.

Meanwhile, Muthaiga Golf Club’s, Greg Snow, who has been in fine form in previous Safari Tour tournaments, found the Windsor course tricky on the final round, to return a 1-over par 73 score; taking his total for the tournament to 3-over par 291 which was enough to secure third place at the tournament.

On the first nine, he played bogey-free while holing three birdies on the par-3, fourth, par-3, eighth and the par-4, ninth. It’s on the back nine that he found it tough; dropping five shots and picking up only one birdie for a back nine total of 40. For his efforts, Greg took home KShs 180,000.

His third-place finish at the Windsor leg of the Safari Tour Golf series saw him finish top of the Road to Kenya Open ranking with 113.5 points ahead of Dismas Indiza in second place with 111 points.

Meanwhile, Vet Lab’s Edwin Mudanyi emerged top elite amateur, taking home the tournament’s Silver Salver.

Barclays Bank of Kenya Managing Director Jeremy Awori hands over a cheque to Kenya Open Golf Limited chairperson Peter Kanyago today.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Last year’s Ryder Cup winning captain Thomas Bjorn headlines the star attractions that have been confirmed for the March 14-18 Magical Kenya Open which is making its debut as a European Tour event.

The 47 year old is the most successful Danish golfer to have played the game having won 15 tournaments worldwide on the European Tour. He captained the winning European side at the 2018 Ryder Cup.

Bjorn, who was elected chairman of the European Tour’s tournament committee in 2007, started his golfing career in 1993. In 1995 he won four tournaments on the Challenge Tour to earn his card for his debut year on the European Tour in 1996. Bjørn made his breakthrough immediately winning his maiden tour title in his debut season at the Loch Lomond World Invitational.

The Danish will be joined on the list by 22-year old Indian pro golfer Shubhankar Sharma who recorded his first tour win in the Joburg Open in December 2017. He then followed this with a second win at the Maybank Championship in February 2018, a win that earned him full membership of the European Tour.

South Africa’s Haydn Porteous will also make a return to Kenya for another shot at the title that he won in 2015 when the Open was still a Challenge Tour event. In January 2016, Porteous won his maiden European Tour title with a two-stroke victory at the Joburg Open which is a co-sanctioned event with the Sunshine Tour.

Meanwhile, former title sponsors Barclays Bank (Absa Group Limited) pumped in Sh 220 million in the Open over the next two years. The money will be split between operational costs of the event, with Sh150 million injected into the tournament while the remaining Sh70 million will be used to further amplify the profile of the event.

“For the past eight years, working with the Kenya Open Golf Limited, we have grown the stature of this tournament and turned it into an asset not only for the golfing fraternity, but for the country,” Barclays Bank of Kenya Managing Director Jeremy Awori said.