Nelson Simwa in action recently.

By DANIELLA APIYO

National golf team captain Nelson Simwa has declared his intentions of turning professional at the end of this year and he wants to do that in style, by winning the golfer of the year title.

He wants to start that campaign with a win at this year’s Muthaiga Open tournament that takes place at the par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club on Saturday and Sunday.

The tournament is the second leg of the Golfer Of The Year (Goty) series and will be a 54-hole medal competition, with the first 36 holes being played on Saturday and 18 holes being played on Sunday.

“I am ready for the event. My swing is good, I have been spending long hours on the range and on the putting green and I feel ready for the challenge,” said Simwa.

After finishing third during the season opening Sigona Bowl last month, the Vet Lab player who is also the national team captain is desperate to win this weekend’s event to boost his chances of winning the coveted Goty title as he plans to join the professional ranks by the end of the year.

“I played at Muthaiga three weeks ago when Vet Lab won the Nairobi District Foursomes and I don’t think the course has changed much. I will be going for nothing less than victory,” said Simwa who currently plays off handicap +4.

He is, however, expected to get stiff challenge from reigning champion champion Daniel Nduva, reigning Goty winner John Karichu, Sigona Bowl winner Justus Madoya and veteran Robinson Owiti among others. pandora charms sale pandora charms sale

Dismas Indiza follows hiss shot at the practice range in George, South Africa.

By DANIELLA APIYO

Mumias long-hitter Dismas Indiza missed out on the qualifying slot of the ongoing Dimensional Data ProAm by a mere shot as Kenyans started off their campaign in the Sunshine Tour in George, South Africa.
A total of four Kenyans took part in the George based Pro-Am which is part of the Sunshine Tour.
South Africa based Kenyan youngster Stefan Andersen was privileged to join KCB- sponsored compatriots Indiza, CJ Wangai and David Wakhu but the foursome weren’t so lucky.
Brett Liddle of South Africa and Zambian Dayne Moore shot superb rounds of 4 under par 68 to jointly top the qualifiers.
Wangai in a phone interview said they return back to Johannesburg Friday well in time for qualifiers of the prestigious Jo’Burg Open on Tuesday. Practice is scheduled for Monday.
“The good news for now is that we’ll remain in Jo’burg for the week just practising. The weather in George is extremely hot, but the courses here are very good though they are all lynx courses – near the sea,” said Wangai in an interview.
Wangai who is also the PGK Captain said they have put their George’s woes behind them and now are focusing for the Jo’burg challenge.
Indiza missed the main event slot by 1 shot to finished 20th overall.
Wangai lost the qualifying slot by 8 shots whilst Wakhu lost it by 9 shots.
Kenya’s Stefan played a round of 5 under par 77 to wrap it up jointly 30th. The Dimensional Data Pro-Am main event culminates on Sunday. Johannesburg championship is a significant event for the three Kenyans as they have been entered in qualifiers which they need to prevail upon to play in the event proper. Jo’Burg Open is a round of the European Tour and offers Kenyans a platform to brush shoulders with some of the global’s best pro golfers.
Indiza who was last year’s winner in the PGK Order of Merit  said: “Sunshine golf is very popular now. There are a lot of tournaments and a lot of people are coming to play here. The game is becoming more and more popular. Now that KCB is enabling us to play in the top tournaments around the world this will help us get better and better as we prepare for the Kenya Open,” said Indiza.
Sgona’s Wangai who is making his debut in the Sunshine Tour sounded quite febrile after practice “I am looking forward to the week in George at the Fancourt  Golf Club. I hope to practise a few holes in Jo’Burg. I just here it is a brilliant course where you are compelled to hit the ball cautiously off every tee. It is much more important to be accurate from the tee and to keep the ball in the fairway because the rough can be very difficult to play from and you can get a lot of fliers. It’s going to be very difficult to keep the ball under control from the rough,” said Wangai who is also the PGK Captain.
Royal Nairobi man Wakhu returns to the Sunshine Tour after half a decade since having a one off n 2009.  Wakhu said: “It will be nice to play in South Africa once again. It is nice to have as many local based pros partake in the Sunshine Tour but I would like to say that I want a Kenyan to keep this trophy on foreign soil. This is a tour event you want to excel in  as its sets the mood and platform to our participation in Johannesburg Open next week. The Jo’Burg Open is a tournament which is steep in history; and from what I know Clubs here in South have such a fantastic history. Jo’Burg is definitely one of those events which you want to play and post good results.”
During the players send off-cum launch of the 2015 KCB Golf Tour at Kencom House in Nairobi last week, KCB Chief Business Officer and MD Kenya Samuel Makome said the sponsorship of the three golfers to the Sunshine Tour highlights KCB Corporate Golf tour as a premium tour that promotes top players in the golfing fraternity where they get the opportunity to compete with their peers globally.
“We are excited with the fact that the international exposure will help boost the standards of pro golf in Kenya,” said Mr Makome.
The Sunshine Tour is a men’s professional golf tour based in Southern Africa. For a lengthy part of its history it was known either as the South African Tour or the FNB Tour, but it re-branded itself in a deliberate attempt to broaden its appeal.
The Kenyans are expected to return on Februart 2 and will play in the 2015 KCB Golf Tour which  tees-off at Royal Golf Club on March 11 and culminates with the Grand Finale at the Nyali Golf Course on August 8.
KCB has committed a total of Kshs. 25 Million towards organisation of the Tour as well as facilitating for the three golfers who will be sponsored by KCB to play at the South Africa based Sunshine Tour next week. The five leg series, which prepares local pros for the prestigious Kenya Open, has a prize fund of Ksh. 5.5million.

Dimension Data Pro-Am Qual.
Selected Final Result.

=1. Brett Liddle (RSA)
(-4) 68
=1. Dayne Moore (ZAM) (-4) 68
=3. Louis Calitz (RSA)RSA
(-3) 69
=3. Callie Swart (RSA)
(-3) 69
=5. Jaco Prinsloo (RSA)
(-1) 71
=5. Tyron Roelofsz (RSA)
(-1) 71
=20. Dismas Indiza (KEN)
(+3) 75
=30. Stefan Engell Andersen (KEN) (+5) 77
=45. John Chege “CJ” Wangai (KEN) (+8) 80
=51. David Wakhu (KEN) (+9) 81 cheap air max 90 mens cheap air max 90 mens