Richard Ainley follows his tee shot at a recent event. He is currentlt on top of the leader board at Royal Club.

By DANIELLA APIYO

Nakuru resident pro Richard Ainley was in imperious form as the opening round of the KCB Golf Tour teed-off at Royal Nairobi Golf Club on Tuesday.
Undaunted by early morning windy conditions, Ainley played an impressive round of 5 under par 67 to go to bed with a one shot lead on Day 1.
Benson Simwa played four under 68 to occupy the second position.
International Greg Snow and Frank Matilo were joint third on 2 under par 70.
Dismas Indiza, Hesbon Kutwa and Brian Njoroge finished joint fifth on a score of 1 under par 71.
Ainley, who has been playing some super golf lately, however note that his score would have been better if it were not for the two careless shots he made on holes 6 and 18.
“I’m really glad to have shot the same score I did at the same venue during the KQ series. I’m rather disappointed though that my score today would have been lower if it were not for the two careless shots I made. Conditions were very windy so it was difficult for me to place my shots where I wanted to and with the dry weather the course was playing really tight,” said Ainley.
Ainley parred on par 4 hole 1 but picked up 3 birdie on holes 2, 5, 8 for a score 36 in the first nine.
The Nakuru pro sunk in four more birdies on holes 10, 14, 15 and 16 for a score of 33 in the second nine.
Boniface Simwa was five under going into hole 18 but picked a bogey that saw him lose the lead to Ainley.
Indiza started off really well in the first nine where he shot two eagles on par 5 hole 7 and par 4 hole 3.
“I started really well in the first nine but made some grave errors on the back nine. I’m happy though that I’m playing really well at the moment and my swing is closer to where I want it to be,” said Indiza who is a member of the three man team that KCB sponsored to the recent Sunshine Tour in George and Johannesburg.
Top GOTY Amateurs who are preparing for Africa Zone 6 played badly with the best being K. Bollo and Bavnesh Chandaria shooting 3 over 75.
Tournament Director Elisha Kasuku said pros are excited having KCB as the title sponsor for the last 10 years.
“This is a good exposure for pros as its a great exposure for the Kenya Open. We are confident that top pros like Indiza can pull surprises in the Kenya Open. Play resumes today at 9.30am on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s round will see the top 12 players make the cut and the rest fall by the wayside. A total of 45 golfers are taking part in the event. The cut tomorrow, according to tournament director Kasuku, is being projected at +4.

Leader board, Round 1:
1. Richard Ainley 67 (-5)
2. Benson Simwa 68 (-4)
3. Greg Snow 70 (-2)
3= F. Matilo 70 (-2)
3=Simon Ngige 70 (-2)
6. Hesbon Kutwa 71 (-1)
6= Dismas Indiza 71 (-1)
6= B. Njoroge 71 (-1)
9. Jacob Okello 72 (level)
9=N. Mudanyi 72 (level)
11. P Thuo 73 (+1)
11=E. Ooko 73 (+1)
13. J. Karanja 74 (+2)
13=Ajay Shah 74 (+2)

Amateurs results:
K. Bollo (Royal) 75 (+3)
B. Chandaria (Muthaiga) 75 (+3)
Robinson Owiti (Vet Lab) 76 (+4)
Nelson Simwa (Vet Lab) 78 (+6)
John Karichu (Limuru)78 (+6)
Alfred Nandwa 78 (+6)
Justus Madoya (RV) 81 (+9)
W. Odera 82 (+10)
D. Sakwa 82 (+10) pandora charms sale pandora charms sale

Simon Ngige in a action during a recent tournament.

By DANIELLA APIYO

Aspiring golfers and professionals demonstrated their talent in golf’s big cousin, Long Drive at the Kenya Railways club in Nairobi. The event was brought to Kenya by the Board of United International Long Drivers (BUILD) and sponsored by Diamond Trust Bank (DTB). BUILD is a not for profit organization whose mandate is to promote the sport of long drive.

BUILD was represented in Kenya by Mombasa born Fareen Samji who is the current 3 time International Long Drive Champion (ILDC) Canadian Women’s Long Drive champion. “Bringing Long drive to Kenya is a dream come true for me, and I am overwhelmed by the response we received,” says Samji.

Each competitor at the DTB Drive For Show Long Drive competition hit a “set” of 6 balls with the longest ball coming to rest inside the fairway counting as their score. The day started with qualifying where each competitor hit 6 balls (1 set) and the top 4 qualified for the finals in the afternoon. In the Men’s Division finals Mike Kisia of Vet Lab hit the longest ball of the day at 379 yards to clinch the title over Amman Shah from Sigona.

The Pros division was a showdown of epic proportions with Simon Ngige of Thika defeating Greg Snow of Royal by 2 yards to win the title. Junior Boys showed tremendous talent and Windsor’s 14 year old Akshay Chandaria defeated 16 year old Aqib Assaria of Sigona. Junior girls had a talent that was very promising thanks to the teachings of Rose Naliaka. Serah Khanyereri defeated Joy Ndonga in the finals to win the title.

Running the grid for the event was seasoned tournament host Ryan Hawkins, the 2013 ILDC Canadian Men’s Long Drive champion and Team Canada captain. “I really didn’t know what to expect when I came to Kenya, but the talent of the hitters I have seen here is amazing,” says Hawkins, a left handed hitter on his first visit to Kenya.

Diamond Trust Bank was the official sponsors of the event. Heads of Products and Marketing at DTB Mr Gituku Kirika said, “DTB is excited to bring this event to Kenya in support of our theme of innovation.”

Onlookers were treated to a demo about long drive and some tips and techniques by Hawkins and Samji. The event was sanctioned by the KGU and unlike other golf events where silence is tradition at the tee, the event had a DJ spinning music all day for the hitters to hit to and it created a great vibe. KGU chairman Peter Warui says, “I never knew that golfers could hit to music, and hit well. I think the idea of silence on the tee is a myth!”

The event the first of its kind in Kenya attracted over 100 participants drawn from different clubs across the country.

cheap air max 90 mens cheap air max 90 mens