PRESENTATION: PGK chairman Charan Thethy receives the Pro Am cheque from Kenya Airways Sponsorships Promotions Manager in charge of Africa and rest of world, Georgina Ndawa as KGU chairman Mwaniki Gachoka looks on.

By DISMAS ONYANGO

The par 72 Windsor Golf and Country Club will from Wednesday morning play host to a total of 30 local professionals at the inaugural Kenya Airways Pro Am, expected to act as a curtain raiser to the Kenya Airways Golf Safari Grand Finale set to be held at the same venue on Saturday.

The professionals will be fighting for a lucrative prize money of Sh850, 000 from sponsors Kenya Airways and are expected to use the tournament as part of their preparation for the annual Kenya Open Golf Championships to be held at the par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club between March 29 and April 1.

“I would like to thank Kenya Airways for bringing the professional golfers body on board and we hope it will from now be a series of events for the pros and not a one off. A total of 30 pros will participate in the 72-hole event starting tomorrow (today) morning and on Friday each pro will be playing alongside three amateurs,” said Charan Thethy, the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) chairman, when he received a sponsorship cheque of Sh1 million from Kenya Airways Sponsorships Promotions Manager in charge of Africa and rest of world, Georgina Ndawa.

Charania said with about five weeks remaining before the Kenya Open Championships, the event would act as a platform for the local golfers who have never won the prestigious title which part of the PGA Tour.

Ndawa said Saturday’s Grand Finale will attract at 50 foreign players from different countries where the tournament visited. This year the Safari which was initially sponsored to a tune of Sh15 million, witnessed a total of 35 rounds and visited a number of countries including Bangkok, Thailand and Guanzhou, China, where the flight goes to. In Africa the Safari was played in Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Cote D’Ivore, Senegal, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Sechelles, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.

“We have invited all winners from all the countries that we held our events and locally all the top seven from each round qualified for the grand finale and we expect a very mouth watering finale,” said Ndawa. canada goose kinder canada goose kinder

Gurbax Singh tees off at Nyalyi Golf and Country Club during a past Tusker Malt Golf Carnival event.

By DISMAS ONYANGO

The pair of Charles Ngunjiri and Watson Burugu set a new record score at the Tusker Malt Golf Carnival Championship played at the Thika Sports Club.

Playing in unusually hot and windy conditions, the pair blazed through the first nine holes, oblivious of the strong winds blowing from the North, securing a massive 27 points. Ngunjiri, a handicap 27 golfer was in true form through the first six holes, scoring pars on the first, third, fourth and fifth holes.

On the relatively short par-four second, a way-ward tee shot found the bush to the right of the fairway and a bogey was a good score in the end. Burugu, playing off handicap-16, scored well on the par-five first and again on the par-four fifth where a good drive and a drilled 7-iron resulted into a birdie.

On the back nine, the pair, now high on the sound of victory, stumbled on the tough par-four 12th, managing only a double bogey and again on the toughest hole in Thika, the dogleg left, par-four 17th where they Ngunjiri just managed to secure a single point. But the total of 27 and 22 points for a total of 49 points was all the pair needed for a well deserved victory.

The pair of Peter Maina and David Mbugua finished in second place with 48 points. The pair, both playing off handicaps of 28, made maximum use of their handicap strokes to secure 23 points on the front nine and 25 points on the second nine.

The team of Tom Ochieng and Francis Karu finished on 47 points; the pair started off well, making 26 on the front nine. However, early thoughts of victory and nerves soon set in and on the back nine, the pair could only manage an average 21 points.

The pair of Anthony Kioi, playing off handicap 17 and Anthony Mwenja, playing off 15, finished in fourth place with 46 points whilst the team of Jeremiah Karanja and Steve Mbuthia finished in fifth place also with 46 points. The visiting team of Tim Gitonga and Tabitha Muthinga were the guest winners on 49 points, equally the winning score of the day. Gitonga scored well through the first nine leaving the Muthinga to handle the back nine. Their see-saw performance on alternate holes ensured high scoring through the 18-holes.

Congratulating the winners, KBL’s Effie Thiongo said she was encouraged by the both the condition of the golf course and the level of performance. “The highest winning score at the Tusker Malt Golf Carnival has been shattered here at Thika and by two different teams,” Thiongo said. “This demonstrates the level of team work present and the comradeship that Thika is renowned for.”

The Tusker Malt Golf Carnival now moves to the Karen Country Club. joyas pandora joyas pandora