Sweden’s Linda Wessberg, winner of both the ProAm team prize and the overall leading Pro prize at the Vipingo Invitational ProAm. She emerged victorious after returning an individual score of 2-under 70.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Swedish pro Linda Wessberg and her partners posted a combined score of 44 points to claim the top prize in the second Ladies European Tour (LET) Vipingo Invitational Pro-Am at the Par 72 Vipingo Ridge’s PGA Baobab Course over the weekend.

Wessberg’s team comprising two local pros namely amateurs Naomi Wafula and Florence Kirimi tied on 44 with four teams but won the title with a superior score of 9 on the last three holes after also tying with the second placed team on the back nine.

In second place was the team of English renowned professional Florentyna Parker and Charles Gacheru and David Nyale who scored 44 but with a lesser score of 8 points on the last three holes.

The team of Spanish pro Noemi Martin Jimenez and amateurs Fred Muteti and Gurbux Singh of Nyali came home third with a total of 44 points and 7 on the last the holes.

A total of 13 teams led by the visiting Ladies European Tour Pros and over 50 amateurs participated in the historic event. The first Pro-Am was played on Friday, where the Germany’s Laura Fuenfstueck emerged the winners.

The Fuenfstueck led team comprising of amateur Mamta Patel, Rhapti De Silva and Purity Mutinda carded 58nett.

Kenya’s Betty Gacheru with Lady Pro golfers (L-R) Camilla Lennarth, Annabel Dimmock, Kelsey Macdonald and Amy Boulden at the Vipingo Invitational ProAm event

Kitale Golf Club’s Wafula who played in the winning team savored her presence in Vipingo Ladies Invitation Tour. “It’s such a great feeling to play alongside the top 100 ranked ladies from the European Tour. It’s such a great experience and we have learnt quite a lot from the visitors. It’s my hope that similar tours are organized frequently, said Wafula, from the ever-green Rose Naliaka Academy.

The event, which ran across two days, is a pre-cursor to a fully-competitive LET event which shall be held in Kenya later this year, and which is excepted to draw the participation of ladies from Kenya and the East African region.

The LET pros were on their way from the Fatima Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi to the Australian Ladies Classic Bonville in Australia.

The Vipingo LET Invitational was organized by Vipingo Ridge in partnership with U.Com Media the official television broadcaster of Ladies European Tour events. Safaricom and the Kenya Tourism Board also supported the event.

U.Com will use footage from this Vipingo event throughout the 2019 LET season, giving Kenya’s golf tourism a much needed boost in the arm.

Muthaiga caddies Robert Kariuki and Joseph Kioko compare notes at Muthaiga Club during the National Caddie Tournament.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Home player John Karanja to beat a large field of 183 players drawn from 22 clubs and including 24 professionals, to emerge the winner of the 2019 Nginyo Investments sponsored National Caddies tournament at Muthaiga Golf Club on Monday.

It was no mean feat, Karanja, a regular player in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series, fired one over par 72, to beat Kelvin Barasa of the Great Rift Valley Resort Naivasha by five shots. Barasa posted 77 gross.

Playing off handicap three, Karanja, bogeyed the par four-first hole, before making two back to back birdies at the third and fourth. He however three putted the fifth to drop his second shot of the day.  He however made a birdie at the par five-seventh to finish the front nine on one under par. “The first nine is usual very difficult so I tried to protect the two birdies I had though was very disappointed with the three putts at the fifth hole’’ said Karanja.

He picked a birdie at the 10^th, but dropped a shot at the 12^th after driving to the fairway bunker. A double at the 14^th after hitting a tree on the right followed by a three putts almost ruined his chances of winning the event though he made an easy birdie at the 18^th for a one over par 72 to claim the beautiful Nginyo Investments Trophy.

“ I am very delighted winning this event, more or so by beating some of the professionals. I sincerely thank the Lawrence Nginyo Kariuki for his great support to the caddies in the country over the years’’ said Karanja who last year won both the Tanzania Caddies championship in Kiligolf Resort Arusha and the Uganda Caddie championship.

“I would like to prepare for the Muthaiga Open and Sigona Bowl in February and March’’ added Karanja. Railway’s Patrick Kariuki fired an impressive nett 65 to clinch the nett title ahead of Muthaiga’s Geoffrey Kiiru on 67. In third place was John Kamau of Limuru also on 67 nett.

Winning the nines were J. Nyanduru and M. Njoroge on nett 36 each while J. Gitau and N. Waweru won the longest drive and nearest to pin respectively. In the ladies section, Sigona’s Mary Gathoni retained her title after posting 85 gross, winning by 10 shots from Mary Rogate of Muthaiga. The nett title went to Leah Kahora of Ruiru Sports Club who carded 77 nett to win by one shot from Innocent Mukami and Margaret Wairimu. The nine winners were P. Nduta and Mary Wanjiru on 36 and 30 nett while Sarah Bisera and J. Waweru won the longest drive and nearest to pin prizes.

Leading the professionals was Sigona’s John Wangai who shot level par 71 in the round which included birdies on the fifth and 16^th and bogeys over the sixth and 10^th. He won by a shot from Golf Park’s David Wahu while another Golf Park pro Tony Omuli was third with two over par 73 while the Great Rift Valley Resort’s Justus Madoya was fourth on 74. The winner Wangai took home Sh75,000.

This year Nginyo Investments courtesy of veteran professional Lawrence Nginyo Kariuki and his partners Swiss Lenana Mount Hotel sponsored the event to the tune of Sh750,000, and Kariuki promised to increase the sponsorship package to one million in 2020.

“ I take this great pleasure to acknowledge the profound growth in this event as witnessed in the number of players who took part in the qualifying rounds in their respective clubs’’ said Kariuki.

He said that Caddies have a long history that dates back to the pre-independence days to play the game of golf. This struggle started way back in 1963 when Kariuki himself founded the Ndumberi Golf Club popularly known as “St Andrews”, to enable Africans and Asians to play the game which was then exclusively for the white community. “The founding of Ndumberi Golf Club was critical as it paved way for clubs affiliated to Kenya Golf Union (KGU) accept selected African and Asians to join as members. My advice to you as caddies is to observe discipline and adhere to the rules of golf for you to continue realizing the fruits of this struggle’’ added Kariuki who called on other corporate to support the caddies by providing sponsorship.