LEADING FROM THE FRONT: Thika's Simon Ngige follows his shot in a past event.

By JAPHETH KAGONDU

Thika Sports Club’s Simon Ngige picked up a total of six birdies and dropped two shots, to share the opening round lead with Muthaiga’s Greg Snow on three under par as the seventh leg of the 2011 KCB East Africa Golf Tour’s KCB Bank Uganda Open at the Uganda Golf Club course Kitante Road Kampala yesterday.

Ngige a winner so far of three events in the series birdied the first, third and fourth but bogeyed the seventh and dropped one more shot at the 10th, though managed to recover with three birdies at the 15th, 17th and 18th for the day’s 69. Snow who is being sponsored by Serena Hotels group, also set off with three back to back birdies at the opening three holes, added one
more at the fifth but like Ngige, he also bogeyed the seventh and later on the 12th and 14th though he was able to pick up birdies at the 10th, 13th and 16th.
The two were a shot better than a group of four others who included Anil Shah who at one time was five under par and leading the pack by two shots until he double-bogeyed the 18th after sending his approach shot to the right green bunker, chipped shot from the green for a six at that hole which left him on two under 70.

He had birdied six holes and bogeyed two others. “I am rather disappointed that i am not at the top of the leaderboard. I had a bad drive at the 18th and played a low second shot which i thought was going to make it to the green, but went to the bunker instead” said Anil Shah who however said his golf was very solid.

He was joined on 70 by Vet Lab’s Boniface Simwa, Rwanda’s Jean Baptiste and Uganda’s P. Sendawula. Tournament favourite who is also the defending champion Dismas Indiza shot one under par 71 to tie with Jacob Okello, John Kagiri and Richard Ainley A total of 41 professionals and 10 leading Uganda amateurs turned up for the opening round of the one Million shillings
tournament which will be followed by the grand finale at Nyali Goll and Country Club Mombasa in August. canada goose frauen canada goose frauen

SWING: Greg Snow follows his tee shot at a past event.

By JAPHETH KAGONDU

A Kenyan sturdy contingent of 24 golfers has vowed to show their supremacy at the KCB Bank Uganda Open.
The four-day golf event tees off from July 6-9, 2011 at the Uganda Golf Club in Kampala. The seventh leg of the KCB Regional tour and also the penultimate round has attracted over 38 professional golfers from the region, who will battle it out for the Kshs 1 million prize-fund.

Uganda will be represented by a strong field of 14 players in the four rounds event that will be staged at Kampala Golf Club, which is the best course in Uganda. Deogratious Akope the Uganda Professional Golfers Association (UPGA) Captain will be among the players to watch in Kampala.

The promising golfer will not be a lone ranger but will be joined by Zimbambwe-based towering professional Denis Anguyo.
Other Ugandan professionals seeking the top prizes will be; Peter Sendaula, Sadi Atibu, George Olayo, Lagoro Dickson, Amos Kamya among others.
Joining the party from Kenya will be Thika’s Simon Ngige who is fresh from winning the sixth round of the KCB East African Golf Tour in Nakuru last month. Ngige has so far won round one, three and sixth in Thika, Kisumu and Nakuru respectively.Greg Snow, who has previously won the second and fifth round of the KCB Regional elite tour, has also confirmed participation in the event.
However, it will be interesting to see the kind of play Mumias Sugar’s long-hitter Dismas Ndiza will exhibit to solidify his top position in the KCB Golf tour ranking. Other notables include; left-hander Richard Ainley, Ali Kimani, Nicholas Rokoine, Jacob Okello, South Africa-based Anil Shah among others.
KCB has invested Kshs 8.7 million in the East African Golf Tour Series which has so far staged six events namely the KCB Biashara Club Invitational at the Thika Golf Club in February; the KCB Advantage Banking Challenge at the Muthaiga Golf Club in March and the KCB S&L Mortgages Classic in Nyanza Golf Club in April. Other competitions were the KCB Bank Tanzania Open at the Arusha Gymkhana Golf Club and the KCB Bank Rwanda Open at the Kigali Golf Club in May and the KCB Corporate Banking Open at the Nakuru Golf Club which took place last month.
The ultimate grand finale dubbed, KCB Classic Tour will be staged at the Nyali Golf Club, Mombasa in August 10-13, 2011 where the winner will walk away with Ksh 3 million. air max damen air max damen