Excitement ahead of first ever national golf event in Malindi
William Kaguta (right) receives his title after winning the Coast Open Barry Cup at the par 71 Mombasa Golf Club course on Julh 24, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Current club captain Walter Okoth says there will be subsidiary event which will be limited to 40 players only.
- “We have prepared the course very well and its ready for the tournament which we hope to make the best ever national event at the Coast," said Okoth, who expects most of the leading amateur golfers in the country to grace the event.
Malindi Golf and Country Club in Kilifi County will on August 27 make history when it hosts its first ever national tournament.
The Malindi Open, a two-day tournament, is one of the many national events which were added into the growing list of the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship(KAGC) golf series.
Others are the Goldfields trophy in Kakamega, Nandi Open, Golf Park Open, Ronald Marshall and Toby Gibson Trophy and Kiambu, making the total number of KAGC events to 25.
Because of the restrictions for events being held on nine-hole course by the Kenya Golf Union (KGU) the inaugural Malindi Open, whose entry deadline is August 21, will be restricted to only 72 players of handicap index 17.3 and under.
Current club captain Walter Okoth says there will be subsidiary event which will be limited to 40 players only.
“We have prepared the course very well and its ready for the tournament which we hope to make the best ever national event at the Coast," said Okoth, who expects most of the leading amateur golfers in the country to grace the event.
Some of the leading home players who will be in action besides the captain will be Aloise Ogola and club chairman Tukero Ole Kina.
From Mombasa will be Gurbux Singh, Hassan Choyo, newly crowned Coast Open champion William Kaguta and Henry Kamau among others.
Okoth says besides friends of the captain, the tournament is being supported by Family Bank, Kenya Breweries Limited and Tegigo, while the entry fee per player will be Sh2,500.
Malindi Golf and Country Club is located to the north of Malindi town, off the Lamu Road. It is one of the two golf courses in Kilifi County and the only one in the town.
The 5,404m Nine-hole golf course playing Par 70 was founded in 1962. The golf course features separate tees and additional greens on the second nine.
The sea level golf course has six par threes, eight par fours and four par fives, with finely contoured greens.
The golf course is nestled alongside the sand dunes of Malindi’s seaside and features large broad lush fairways with much forgiving roughs, bordering a series of indigenous forests and wetlands on all sides.
Resident waterbucks, impalas, dik-diks and other antelope species inhabit the expanse golf course, whose boundary is fully secured and fenced off.
Meanwhile, during last weekend’s Institute of Human Resources Managament Golf tournament at the par 72 Ruiru Sports Club course, handicap 23 golfer David Muiruri posted an impressive 44 points to claim the overall title, leaving men winner Nicholas Kibera two points behind.
Finishing second in the men’s section was Martin Waweru, who returned a respectable 41 points, same as lady winner Lucy Mwangi who beat Catherine Gitonga by five points.
Taking the two nines were Paul Njeru on 23 and Timothy Mwaura on 22 points.
In the second division, John Kahungu emerged top with 39 points, a comfortable win and well ahead of lady winner Hellen Gicheru on 32 points.
Leading the guests was Tabby Mungai with a score of 35 points, same as the sponsor winner Joseph Gathuka.
Justus Mathenge won the nearest to pin for the men and the ladies winner was Terry Nganga.
In the longest drive contest, Joseph Gathuka drove ahead of every man on the course, while the longest driver in the ladies section was hit by Salome Kamau.
