Home player D. Ooko prepares to tee off during the fifth leg of the KTB sponsored ‘Tembea Kenya’ Golf Series at Sigona Golf Club last weekend. Vet Lab hosts tomorrow’s leg.

By DANIELLA APIYO

‘Tembea Kenya’ golf series continues on Friday with it’s sixth leg at the Vet Lab Golf Club where a field of at least 180 participants are expected to take part.

This will be the next stop of the golf tourism action which teed off with the Limuru leg in October before it moved to Nyali Golf and Country Club, then Nakuru, Nyanza and Sigona being the last venue last weekend.

During last weekend’s leg in Sigona, home player Fan Li emerged the overall winner, ruling the roost on a score of 44 stableford points, the best so far since the series teed off, beating Nyanza’s Elizabeth Akinyi’s initial mark of 42 points.

According to Vet Lab’s leading amateur Robinson Owiti, the course is in one of its best conditions but warned players not to expect an easy round owing to the designs made to increase the challenges.

“We have just had Kenya Golf Union (KGU) officials do ratings on the course today and they have given it thumbs up. The course is in a superb condition. The greens are, however, very fast because of the sand used to make them up to international standards but the rough should not be of much worry because they are medium sized and the fairways are in great shape with balls running well,” said Owiti.

He added: “Players teeing off in the afternoon must be wary of the strong winds especially on holes four, five, six, seven and 15. Three notorious holes regarded as the toughest on the course are also likely to see many players drop their shots. They are the second hole which is a par four and has a slope on the green, par four third hole which is a strike index two and par four holes 17 which is a dog leg stroke index one hole.

KTB Company Secretary Allan Njoroge said: “At KTB we have over the last five years spent over Ksh. 40 million towards promotion of golf across the country and internationally through publication of golf publicity materials, hosting of international golf journalists on tours of our courses, holding of golf festivals and tournament sponsorship. Kenya’s main markets for golf tourism are in Europe, Middle East and Africa which have a combined eight million golfers of which at least 30 per cent take golf tours.”

Some of the players expected to spice-up the day long competition include Koome Mwambia, Kepha Bosire, former Cabinet Minister Musikari Kombo and top lady golfer Mary Karano among others.

From Vet Lab, the action will move to Eldoret Golf Club on December 20 for the final leg of the series.

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Rapid Golf Tour Tournament Director Charan Thethy (left) awards event winner Dismas Indiza at Muthaiga today.

By DANIELLA APIYO

Mumias Golf Club’s Dismas Indiza  clinched the third leg of the Rapid Tour Golf series  at Muthaiga Golf Club today. The long hitting Indiza shot two over par 73 for a three rounds total of 209 to win the top cash prize of Sh72,000.

Currently preparing for next week’s Nyali Open in Mombasa, the Mumias Golf Club based Indiza beat home pro Nicholas Rokoine by six shots during the third leg of the tour sponsored by Rapid Communications, Kussco limited, Heri heights and Star Times, to claim the third leg.

And he was heading for even a wider margin if he did not double bogey the par three-13^th a hole that has proved a thorny to him over the past five years. It was the same 13^th which denied him a decent finish in the Kenya Open a few years ago after hitting to the water twice. “It was very windy and thought nine iron would be fine’’ said Indiza who had earlier bogeyed the other par three(11^th) having birdied the 10^th. “Today everything was not just working not for me but basically most of us’’ added Indiza who was two under par after four holes at the front nine where he birdied the third and fourth before dropping a shot at the sixth. The double bogey at the 13^th did not however discourage him as he parred the remaining holes for one over par 73 and a total of 209 to take home the first prize of Sh72,000. Rokoine on the other hand made only one birdie at the seventh, a birdie that was however washed away by two back to back bogeys at the last two holes of the front nine and two more at the back nine’s 11^th and 14^th.   “Nothing worked for me today, not driving, putting or chipping. Every part of my game was just bad’’ said Rokoine who shot four over par 75 to wind up in second place with a total of 215 gross. The best round of the final round, a two under par 69 was posted by Royal Nairobi’s Greg Snow who moved from ninth to eventually tie in third place with Nyanza Golf Club’s David Odhiambo who shot one over par 72 for 216. Snow dropped a shot at the first hole but managed to recover at the ninth, then birdied the 10^th, 12^th, 16^th and 18^th against three other bogeys at the 13^th, 14^th and 15^th.  Odhiambo birdied the third and fourth, double-bogeyed the eighth, and picked up two more bogeys at the 11^th and 16^th. Three others including day one leader Frank Matilo who leveled the course for 217 to tie with Brian Njoroge of Vet Lab and Golf Park’s Jacob Okello. A total of 33 players had been listed to play in the 54-hole event though its only 12 who made it to the final round of the Sh300,000 event.

The final leader board:

209 Dismas Indiza 70, 66, 73

215 Nicholas Rokoine 68, 72, 75

216 Greg Snow 76, 71, 69

216 David Odhiambo 71, 73, 72

217 Frank Matilo 67, 79, 71

217   Brian Njoroge 77, 69, 72

217 Jacob Okello 70, 72, 75

219 Mathew Omondi 73, 72, 74

220 Eric Ooko 76, 72, 72

221 Anil Ashok Shah 73, 70, 79

224 Simon Ngige 76, 72, 76

233 Abraham Galgalo 73, 75, 85. cheap air max 90 mens cheap air max 90 mens