MKLO defending champion Esther Henseleit celebrates after retaining her championship title early this year.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Preparations have begun as the country once again sets the stage for the season opener of the Ladies European Tour (LET) in February. Two times champion Germany’s Esther Henseleit will be returning to Vipingo Ridge, Kilifi County, to defend her Magical Kenya Ladies Open title among a field size of 96 professional players in a bid to secure a head start on the Race to Costa del Sol.

Preparations for the event are now underway by organisers U.COM and Vipingo Ridge who will host this spectacular tournament, the only women’s professional golf competition in East Africa, for a third time. The tournament will be held from February 2 to 5, on the 18-hole Baobab Course, the continent’s sole PGA-accredited course, and preceded by a Pro-Am on February 1.

First held at the end of 2019 and a second time in February 2022 after a Covid-enforced break, the tournament features golfers from many different nationalities including a selection of home Kenyan players, at the invitation of the LET, including Vipingo Ridge’s PGA Academy star, Naomi Wafula.

Defending champion Esther Henseleit spoke of her return: “I’m really looking forward to going back to Kenya and defending my title. It’s a special place for me because it’s where I won my first professional tournament and I’ve always found there’s a great atmosphere with many friendly faces. A great way to start the season!”

For his part, CEO Dirk Glittenberg of U.COM said: “Kenya is very special to us. To be able to secure the official kick-off season event in this incredible country once again is a fantastic opportunity. We are very excited to keep growing our enthusiastic family of sponsors and fans.”

Vipingo Ridge’s Chairman Alastair Cavenagh added: “We look forward to another fantastic LET tournament in the New Year. Kenya has proven that we can put on world-class golf events and I am delighted that Vipingo Ridge can play its part for a third time in hosting these talented sportswomen from so many countries. We know millions of fans will be watching the action in February and so we’ll be sure to put on a great show to ensure our magical destination gets the attention it deserves”.

Announcing the return of the tournament, LET CEO Alexandra Armas said: “We are thrilled to be kick-starting our record-breaking 2023 LET season with the Magical Kenya Ladies Open, which will be the first event on the Race to Costa del Sol. Our players love the magnificent Baobab Course and the unique safari-like atmosphere at Vipingo Ridge and many of our members will be returning for the third edition of the tournament. We can’t wait to start what will be a busy and exciting year on the LET.”

The Magical Kenya Ladies Open will be the first in a series of 39 events on the Ladies European Tour 2023 calendar – the most fixtures ever held on the Tour. Spectators will be encouraged to attend the 4-day event and cheer on the professional players.

Michael Karanga reacts after winning the Kiambu Open tournament.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Kiambu Golf Club home player Michael Karanga shot a fantastic two under par 72 to win the inaugural Kiambu Open at the weekend. Karanga played a 4 under par in the first round to take a 4-shot lead from Uganda’s Michael Alunga and Kenya Railway’s Joseph Gathumbi.

In the second round, he played two over par and maintained the lead by 4 strokes. Joseph Gathumbi played identical rounds of 1 over par to finish second on 2 over par beating Alunga on count back. Junior Golfer Elvis Muigua had a hole-in-one in hole number four.

The inaugural Kiambu Open attracted a total of 70 players from Kiambu, VetLab, Golf Park, Eldoret, Windsor, Ruiru, Mombasa, Sigona, Royal Nairobi, Kenya Railway, Uganda, Kericho, Machakos, Kakamega, Muthaiga, Thika Greens, Limuru, Great Rift Valley Golf Clubs. The event is one of the three new events that were added to the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) Circuit including the Golf Park Open held in May and Malindi Open “Vasco Da Gama Cup” held in August. The players compete for KAGC ranking points which contribute to the selection of amateurs for the 2023 Magical Kenya Open. Two Amateurs-Dennis Maara and John Lejirma have already earned slots after winning the Kenya Amateur Matchplay Championship and Kenya Amateur Strokeplay Championship respectively.

The Kenya Golf Union Chairman, Njani Ndiritu, thanked the club for organizing the event and KenGen for sponsoring the tournament. “We are excited to see the conclusion of a well-organized tournament and we are open to any requests from clubs to host a KAGC event,” Ndiritu said. He also urged the golfers to do the Rules Schools Trainings to ensure that the game’s standards are upheld. The Kiambu Captain-Harrison Mwaura thanked Kenya Golf Union for the inclusion of the Kiambu Open in the KAGC Calendar and promised the continued organization of the event annually.

Upcoming KAGC Events:

-Nandi Bear Open Shield – Nandi Bears – 26 -27th November 2022 (This coming weekend)

-Uhuru Shield-Royal Nairobi Golf Club- 2nd-4th December 2022

-Nyali Open- Nyali Golf & Country Club-9th-11th December 2022