John Kagichu reacts after missing a putt in a past event.

By AMANDA DAMARIS

After the conclusion of the five leg Road To The Masters series, the second edition of the KCB Karen Masters is sure to treat enthusiasts to some exhilarating displays of golfing artistry next week.

Rightly so, four leading local amateur golfers currently playing in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (formerly Goty) will savor the opportunity to brush shoulders with  Sunshine Tour superstars from July 19-22.

They are fast rising junior player Mutahi Kibugu, Nyali’s Daniel Nduva,  former multiple Goty champion and current KAGC leader John Karichu from Limuru and Edwin Mudanyi who incidentally is the KAGC series champion.

What’s more, 30 other amateur golfers picked from the KCB Road To The Masters at Ruiru, Limuru, Eldoret, Nyali and Muthaiga will partake the Pro-am event at Karen on July 17.

The Pro-am will curtain raise the main event.

The four amateurs from Kenya will join 32 local pros who make up the big entry list of 156 which comprises of the cream of the Sunshine Tour’s best.

The four amateur golfers will also do duty for Kenya during the forthcoming Victoria Cup against Uganda at Vet Lab later in the month.

Players like Matias Calderon (Chile), Ty Capps (USA), Frederik From (Sweden) and Antonio Rosado (Portugal) are but a few who represent countries outside of the African continent and as their stories will show, most have enjoyed a great deal of success on the Sunshine Tour, and the KCB Karen Masters is set to unleash talent from a whole host of African countries to complement this vision.

For the first time, countries like Ethiopia, Tanzania, Senegal, Rwanda, Malawi, Ghana and the Seychelles have representation in a Sunshine Tour tournament to make this event a truly African spectacle.

As a source of inspiration and encouragement for most of the players from the 22 countries represented in the Karen Masters field and who will be making their debut starts on the Sunshine Tour, a number of non-South African players have done well on the circuit, and Matias Calderon’s victory at the Eye of Africa PGA Championship and Rhys Enoch’s triumph at the Cape Town Open presented by Sun International stand to attest.

Apart from Europeans and South Americans who have achieved great success on this circuit, Zambia’s Madalitso Muthiya also boasts a win while Zimbabwean veterans Nick Price and Mark McNulty are legendary on tour. More recent Zimbabwean victories have been notched up by the likes of Marc Cayeux, Ryan Cairns and Mark Williams.

The Sunshine Tour will be going deeper into Africa in 2018 when the KCB Karen Masters will be played just outside Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi from 19 – 22 July at Karen Country Club.

The title sponsor of the $150,000 tournament is Kenya Commercial Bank, and that partnership substantially expands the Sunshine Tour’s reach into sub-Saharan Africa.

“We are really pleased that a partnership with Kenya Commercial Bank has given us this opportunity to expand the Sunshine Tour into fresh territory,” said Sunshine Tour Executive Director Selwyn Nathan. “Giving our members opportunities on an international stage is very exciting, and we believe the partnership will grow into the future.”

KCB Marketing and Communication Director Angela Mwirigi highlighted the importance of the event in Kenyan sports circles by saying, “ The KCB Karen Masters remains our most visible vehicle to share the greatness of the sport. The tournament is on course to becoming the pre-eminent professional competition in East Africa. We expect a thrilling competition, and, hopefully, it will provide massive excitement for the fans.

Dismas Indiza in previous action

By DANIELLA APIYO

Mumias long-hitting professional Dismas. Indiza and Thika Sports Club resident pro Simon Ngige ate among the 32 players selected to represent Kenya at the forthcoming KCB Karen Masters to be held at Karen Country Club from July 19-22.

While making the announcement Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) Captain CJ Wangai said the 32 were selected through a local qualifying system.

“It’s such a good opportunity for the Kenyan pros as we now have a chance of being ranked in the Sunshine Tour and securing possible invites for the players who will play well,, thanks to KCB for the unswerving golfing support” said Wangai.

“Standards have been set and only the sky is the limit for Team Kenya,” added Wangai.

Also in the Kenyan mix are former top amateur Alfred of Nandwa Railway,  Anil Shah of Royal Nairobi, Boniface Kosgey of Golf Park Resort and CJ Wangai who is the resident professional at Sigona, David Opati of Windsor Country & Golf Club better known as Par 3 due to his diminutive nature, Golf Park’s David Wakhu and veteran Elisha Kasuku of Royal Nairobi also make team.

Others include, Erick Ooko of Royal Nairobi,  Frank Matilo of Muthaiga, Ganeev Giddie of Muthaiga, Hesbon Kutwa Royal. and Jacob Okello  of Golf Park Resort . Okello is, by and large, the most decorated Kenyan professional after losing the Kenya Open title on sudden death in the 1998 edition.

Boniface Simwa from Eldoret Club and Albert Orende from Vet Lab also make the 32 man squad alongside Jeff Kubwa of Muthaiga, Joseph Karanja Golf Park Resort,  Justus Madoya of Green Park Resort,  Ken Abuto of Royal Nairobi,  Ken Bollo also of Royal Nairobi, Kevin Mabele from Kenya Air Force Golf Club, Kopan Timbe of Muthaiga,  Matthew Omondi of Vet Lab,  Mohit Mediratta  of Sigona also make the team.

Mediratta was one of the three Kenyans who made the cut at the recent Kenya Open.

Others representing Team Kenya will be Nelson Mudanyi  the resident pro at Muthaiga, Nelson Simwa of Vet Lab, Nyali resident pro Ngugi Njuguna, Richard Ainley of Nakuru,  Rizwan Charania of Windsor  Sujan of Sigona and Tony Omuli of Golf Park’.

The event will be curtain raised by the Pro-am on July 17 with tournament proper slated for July 19-22.