Karanga heads to Malindi for Kilifi Governor’s Pro-Am event
Kiambu Golf Club's Michael Karanga follows the flight of his tee shot from 10th tee during the Kenya Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Kabete Open on September 16, 2023 at Vet Lab Sports Club.
What you need to know:
- A field of 67 players, including 16 professionals, were drawn for Friday’s opening round that gets under way from 7am.
- The field is expected to double during Saturday’s second round where the elite amateurs and professionals will be joined by the rest of club members who will be battling it out for special prizes reserved for the subsidiary event.
With the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series taking a break this weekend, the focus now shifts to the inaugural Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro’s Pro-Am golf tournament at the Malindi Golf and Country Club in Kilifi County.
A field of 67 players, including 16 professionals, were drawn for Friday’s opening round that gets under way from 7am.
The field is expected to double during Saturday’s second round where the elite amateurs and professionals will be joined by the rest of club members who will be battling it out for special prizes reserved for the subsidiary event.
Leading the elite field will be Kenya’s number one amateur Michael Karanga, who returned home recently from Ghana where he won that country’s top amateur event.
Limuru’s Dennis Maara, Sammy Mulama and Rafael Lemingáni from Golf Park will challenge Karanga for the top prize in the stroke play event.
Vet Lab’s Ebill Omollo, Carl Wambasi and Steve Orinda, Kiambu’s youngster Elvis Muigua, John Koina from Muthaiga, and Coast-based Adel Balala and Henry Kamau are also in contention.
The field also includes lady golfers Naomi Wafula and Jackie Walter from Vipingo.
At stake for the elite amateurs will be Sh520,000 while the professionals have a Sh300,000 purse of which Sh150,000 will be up for grabs for the leading three professionals, while the other amount will pay the appearance fee for each of the pros featuring in the event.
The last time the leading amateurs were in Malindi was during the Vasco Da Gama Cup Malindi Open on August 14 where Karanga posted three over 213 to win the event by a huge margin of 15 shots.
Currently in his best form, Karanga will definitely be the player to beat in the event that is likely to be played in wet conditions as Malindi is currently experiencing rainy weather.
Back in Nairobi, action continues at the par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club course where a field of over 300 players is drawn for the Uganda Day golf tournament.
Kericho Golf Club will meanwhile stage the Diamond Trust Bank tournament that has equally attracted a good field.
