C J WANGAI

By AMANDA DAMARIS

CJ Wangai, winner of the four leg Road To Masters series, is putting final touches to his preparations ahead of this week’s KCB Karen Masters.

After a three day rest, Wangai was back to the competition venue at the par 72 Karen Country Club brimming with confidence.

“After the conclusion of the Road To Karen Masters recently at Royal Nairobi we have been trying to feel the greens and fairways of Karen Country Club. Most local pros have practiced there and we are looking to this week’s Sunshine Tour action with great expectations, My swing is closer to where I want it to be. My strength has always been in the tee shots but again you really have to keep the ball on the fairways and enjoy a great short game at the end of each round,” said Wangai who is also the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK)  Captain .

And having already taken some impressive scalps recently, Wangai a fomer admin at Railways and currently the resident professional at Sigona Golf Club sounded quite enthusiastic when asked about his game plan this week: “The game plan is simple,  to capitalize on as many birdies as possible, some eagles which will definitely be few and far between,  putt well and stay on the fairwairs by avoiding the thick  roughs as much as I can. The current rains have seen the course at Karen revert to its pristine condition but landing on the thick roughs won’t be the best of options when you come to think of drop shots.  My plan this week is to make the cut and go for a top 10. Playing in Safari Tour and Road To Karen Masters has been quite inspiring and beneficial,  we can only hope for the best this week.”

The third edition of the KCB Karen Masters tees off on Thursday preceded by a Pro-Am. The first two rounds on Thursday and Friday will be used to determine the tournament cut,  while the next two from Saturday will ascertain the winner of the blue jacket. 

Greg Snow

By DANIELLA APIYO

No Kenyan professional has won the coveted ‘blue jacket’ since the inception of KCB Karen Masters in 2017.

But one of Kenya’s finest pro golfers Greg Snow hopes to break the jinx when the crème de la crème of Sunshine Tour swing into action this week at the par 72 Karen Country Club.

The Muthaiga Golf Club professional candidly admits he is tied of living in the shadows of visiting Sunshine Tour stars after skipping last year’s Karen Masters and missing the cut at the European Tour Magical Kenya Open earlier in the year.

Missing the Kenya Open cut and a no-show at last year’s Masters saw him secure a slot for this week’s event in the recently concluded Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) Road To Masters Order of Merit.

Snow remarked in an interview: “Obviously the plan is to win the event and just to have a solid week and play some good golf. I have been practicing at Karen and getting ready for the week. The course is in superb lush-green condition and I can only hope for the best.  To set the karen Masters ball rolling, I will go for the cut and after securing a place in the money bracket, I will definitely take the last two rounds as they come.”

Snow, who has previously finished in the top 10 during the Challenge Tour Kenya Open, has fond memories of the Karen course where he also finished fourth in the inaugural Karen Masters in 2017 behind Netherland’s Will Besseling who then played an excellent 12 under par 132 to emerge the winner with a prize money of 4000 US Dollars to boot. His countryman Reiner Saxton scored 10 under par 134 while Englishman Tom Murray came third with a score of 8 under par 136. Snow settled for fourth on 7 under par 137 after rounds of 71 on a penultimate day and 66 on the last day.

“I hit good putts and tee shots in Karen but it’s just one of those days when this doesn’t happen, that’s golf,” Snow quipped, adding: “My attitude has been much better in Karen -just something I’m going to have to persist with this week as I  keep putting myself in leading positions.”