Cairo four in green jacket hunt

National men’s golf team players join the rest of Kenya’s elite golfers for this year’s Diani Beach Masters at the South Coast Leisure Golf and Beach Resort Club’s par 72 course this weekend after last week’s Africa Amateur Golf Team Championship in Cairo.

The four players, who did duty for the country in Egypt where they came second in both the team and individual categories, will be among a field of 69 single-figure handicap players in the Kenya Data Networks-sponsored annual Kenya Golf Union Golfer of the Year event.

They include Boniface Simwa from Vet Lab Sports Club, whose five under par 283 was just a shot adrift from the new Africa amateur champion J. G. Claassen of South Africa. Others in that team who are also seeking the green jacket and eight points towards the GOTY award are Collins Omondi, Francis Kimani and Sullivan Muthugia.

Omondi, who has been in great form this year although he did not seem to click in Cairo, still has a chance to prove his prowess at Leisure.

Also in Diani for one of the best organised events in the country will be the other half of the national team left behind during the Africa Championship – Ali Orende, Abdul Sihag and Anthony Kinuthia.

The team to Cairo was based on the top four ranked players in the GOTY series.

But besides the national team players, the event has also attracted other leading players, including over 30 Tanzanians some of whom are in the main event.

Turned professional

Last year, the then Tanzania champion Bryson Nyenza beat the locals to become the second player from his country to claim the green jacket. The first one was Hassan Kadio some years ago.

Nyenza, who had won the Coast Open at Mombasa Golf Club, and Kadio later turned professional and no longer qualify for the green jacket.

Coast will meanwhile depend on handicap one and former Nyali Open champion, Samuel Kahindi.

But the eventual winner will first have to be among top 36 players to make the first round cut where the remaining 33 will join those in the Butterfly Freedom Class stableford subsidiary.

The club captain said the course was in the best condition ever and that some low scores are anticipated this year.

On Friday, Royal Nairobi Golf Club will stage a fundraising tournament for the Golf Talent Foundation, which is mandated by the Kenya Golf Union to identify and develop golf talent in the country.

The event is being held in partnership with the Kenya Air Force Golf Club where GTF is trying to help tap talent. GTF chairman Patrick Musimba said there will be a free coaching clinic at the Royal driving range during the day.

Good players

“We are trying to see how best we can assist Kenya Air Force, which has produced some good players, and it is in this regard that we decided to partner with them,’’ said Musimba. 

Entry fee for the tournament will be Sh1,500 per player, which may be paid at the registration desk.

The last four events of the South Africa Golf Series qualifying rounds starts this weekend, also at Royal where a big field was drawn to vie for 12 slots in the national finals set for January at Muthaiga.

So far, 955 golfers from seven clubs have participated in the series and raised Sh668,000 towards GTF.