Greg Snow poses with the Safari Tour trophy after winning the Muthaiga leg of the golf series by a 15-stroke lead.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

The top eight qualifiers to the Kenya Open Golf Championship will be decided at the final Safari Tour event to be held at the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club from the 16^th to the 20^th of February 2019.

According the Patrick Obath, the Kenya Open Tournament Director, the Safari Tour was the principal ranking route for qualification into the Kenya Open.

“Since August 2018, we have staged five Safari Tour events and at each of these legs the golf professionals have been awarded points based on their performance; the better the performance the more points gained,” Obath said. “The top eight participants from the Safari Tour will be announced at the end of the the sixth leg at Windsor and these eight Pros will be awarded a slot into the Kenya Open Golf Championship 2019.”

Muthaiga’s Greg Snow currently leads the Safari Tour ranking with 95.5 points following his fourth place finish at Nyali, victory at Vet Lab Sports Club, first place finish at Limuru Country Club and victory at Thika Greens and Muthaiga Golf Club. Snow was on top form at Muthaiga, winning that leg of the Tour with a 15-stroke lead.

Mumias resident Professional Dismas Indiza is second with 92 points having been consistent throughout the Tour. He finished second in Nyali, lost to Snow in a playoff at Vet Lab, he was T3 in Limuru, second at Thika Greens and T2 at Muthaiga.

Golf Park’s David Wakhu is third with 61.5 points; he was victorious at the first Safari Tour event at Nyali but has been inconsistent since then, failing to score a single point in Thika Greens for example.

Kenya’s most decorated golf professional at the Kenya Open, Jacob Okello is currently lying joint ninth with 42.5 points, only five points shy of eighth placed Madoya. Okello, Nyali’s Ngugi Njuguna and Uganda’s Philip Kasozi have a mathematical chance of qualifying after the Windsor leg.

Only Snow and Indiza are safe, Wakhu requires 1.5 points at Windsor to finish among the top eighth and qualify for the Kenya Open whilst Charania, who will be playing on his home course, will need at least 3.5 points to qualify.

Indiza will go to Windsor looking for his maiden victory at the Safari Tour whilst Snow will be looking to prove that his resounding victory at Muthaiga was not a fluke. Wakhu, Charania, Ngige and Wangai will be fighting for a place in the top eight and an automatic place in the Kenya Open.

Only 17 professional golfers have a chance to make it into the top eight of the Safari Tour.

In addition to the Kenya Open qualification slots, the Professionals will be playing for a total prize kitty of KShs 3million courtesy of Magical Kenya, Barclays Bank of Kenya and Johnnie Walker. The winner of the Windsor leg will take home KShs 450,000.

Kenya Open Golf Limited Chairman Peter Kanyago at a past event.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Kenya Open Golf Limited (KOGL) is pleased to learn that the Kenya Golf Union has announced a list of five elite amateurs who will take part in this year’s Kenya Open Golf Championship which will be held at the Karen Country Club from the 14^th to the 17^th of March.

“On behalf of the Kenya Open Golf Limited Board, I congratulate them for their tremendous efforts throughout the year which have seen them earn a ticket to this year’s Kenya Open Golf Championship,” said KOGL chairman Peter Kanyago.
The five elite amateurs are Railways Golf Club’s Samuel Njoroge (handicap +2), who is also the 2018 Kenya amateur Stroke Play Champion; Nyali Golf and Country Club’s Daniel Nduva (handicap +2), who is also the 2018 Kenya Amateur Match Play Champion; Vet Lab’s Edwin Mudanyi (handicap +1), the 2018 Kenya Amateur Golf Championship second runner-up; Vet Lab’s Mike Kisia (handicap +1), who is fourth on the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship Ranking; and the Dubai-based junior golfer, Bradley Mogire (handicap +2), who was handed the Kenya Golf Union wild card.

The Junior Golf Foundation nominee will be announced by end of the month; to complete the list of six amateur players who will feature at this year’s Kenya Open Golf Championship.

“It is our conviction that, through the hard work by both our pros and elite amateurs at the ongoing Safari Tour Golf Series, we will have more Kenyans making the cut this year and challenging for the top prize,” Kanyago said.

He added: “Finally, I congratulate the Kenya Golf Union for its continued work in enhancing the growth and development of golf in Kenya; and look forward to continue working together in this regard.”