NCBA Group Rift Regional Oparations Manager Eric Nabutola in action at the Kitale Golf Club on August 19.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

The penultimate qualifier leg of the 2023 NCBA Golf Series is scheduled to take place this Saturday, at the Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort.

Over 100 golfers are scheduled to tee it off at the resort’s picturesque, yet challenging,18-hole course for a chance to qualify to play in the Series’ grand finale, which will be held at the Sigona Golf Club, later this year.

The event will be the thirteenth in the series, where winners will be feted in various categories including overall gross, men’s, ladies’, and juniors’ categories.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora said: “We are excited to be heading back to Great Rift for the thirteenth event in our 2023 calendar. The course’s breathtaking views and challenging layout promise an exciting competition for both participants and spectators, and we are, therefore, looking forward to the event.”

The Great Rift Valley Golf Course, established in 2000, is renowned for its stunning views of mountains, plains, lakes, and the Rift Valley’s escarpments. The course features 18 holes around the Great Rift Valley Lodge, providing a picturesque setting for the competition.

This leg follows the recent event which was held at the Kitale Golf Club on August 19^th, 2023, drawing the participation of 84 golfers. The top performer in that event was Isaac Gitonga, who secured the top spot with a score of 70 gross.

The 2023 NCBA Golf Series features 14 qualifier events and two junior tournaments in Kenya and Uganda held in partnership with Junior Golf Foundation and U.S. Kids Golf as part of the company’s continued commitment to supporting junior golf development in Kenya.

Jimmy Kibaki (left) presents the Patron’s Cup trophy to Muthaiga’s captain after Muthaiga won the send edition of the tournament.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

The second edition of the Kenya Golf Union-Patrons Cup saw Muthaiga Golf Club retain the Trophy Sunday at their Par 71 home turf. The tournament honors the late former President Mwai Kibaki who was the Patron of Kenya Golf Union and Muthaiga Golf Club for a long time.

“It is encouraging to have seen the teams and their supporters come through for an exciting tournament. We want to see more of the same in subsequent years,”stated MGC Captain Bob Ngugi.

In the three-day Patrons Trophy that teed off on Friday, Muthaiga Golf Club had a cumulative tally of 105.5. The foursomes round on Friday saw the home side pick 13.5 points and on Saturday morning they collected 20 points the garnered 27 points in the afternoon before ending the campaign with 45 points in the Sunday singles for a cumulative tally of 105.5.

VetLab Golf Club who had threatened to spoil the party for the hosts by stretching them all the way, finished second on a cumulative total of 93.5 points. The team teed-off on a high pace, sending early warnings as they posted 25.5 points in the Friday afternoon Foursomes, on Saturday morning they only managed five points in the Four Ball Better Ball, then in the afternoon Foursomes they picked 18 points, before completing their quest with 45 points in Singles on the final day.

Sigona was third on a cumulative score of 29 points.

In the Patron’s Shield competition, Nyali Golf & Country Club finished top with a total of 105 points thus earning promotion to the trophy competition for next year’s event. The coast side will now join the top two finishers in the Trophy competition; Muthaiga Golf Club and VetLab as Sigona will now play in the Shield competition. In the singles round on Sunday, Nyali picked a total of 49.5 points to solidify their final standings tally.

Kenya Railways were second in the Shield competition on a cumulative total of 63.5 points.

Limuru Country Club earned promotion to the Shield after topping the Plaque division with a total 98.5 points. At the same time, Royal Nairobi Club who finished overall on third with 63.5 points in the Patrons Shield now gets demoted to the Plaque category while Windsor Golf & Country Club used to reside and now drops to Patrons Bowl.

Limuru Captain David Irimu was appreciative of the team effort after earning promotion in next year’s showpiece. “It was enjoyable for all of us and all gratitude goes to Muthaiga Golf Club for hosting us but allowing teams to own the event. We did well as a team because last year we were relegated from Shield to Plaque but this year we managed to beat Golf Park,Karen Country Club and Windsor Country Club to get promoted again back to the Shield category. The organization was top notch and for me also what worked was the inclusivity around It. We look forward to being bigger and better hopefully in 2024,”said the former Club Chairman.

Elsewhere Kiambu Golf Club earned a deserved promotion berth to the Plaque Division after posting a commendable total tally of 108 points to finish ahead of Mombasa Sports Club and Thika Sports Club on 79 points and 95 points respectively.

A total 168 players representing 14 teams across the country took part in the three day tournament. The Trophy and Shield competitions attracted three teams apiece whilst the Plaque and Bowl competition saw four teams compete per round.

ENDS…