Kenya in no mood to relinquish Africa Region 4 Golf title
Kenya players, (from left), Adel Balala, Michael Karanga, Elvis Muigua and captain John Lejirmah, together with team manager Chris kinuthia after a practice round at Kigali Golf Resort and Villa in Kigali, Rwanda on October 3, 2024.
What you need to know:
- On Friday, the six nations will play two rounds in the morning and afternoon, while the third round is set for Saturday and the final round on Sunday.
- The tournament is being held under the auspices of the Africa Golf Confederation (AGC), whose President Johnson Omollo of Uganda, and the chairman of the technical committee in AGC, Philip Ochola, will hold a meeting to decide venues for the inaugural regional junior events hosts for 2025. Hosts for the other regional events will also be decided.
In Kigali, Rwanda
Africa Region IV defending champions Kenya are in the moody to retain their title that they have won successively.
Team captain John Lejirmah said after a practise round at the tournament venue, Kigali Golf Resort and Villas yesterday that the course was in great condition for playing good golf.
“We are here for nothing short of taking the trophy, having won it for the past two years,’’ Lejirmah threw down the gauntlet.
“This is probably the best course we have in East Africa. The greens are excellent, though the approach to the green was rather soggy because of rainfall a few days ago. But beside that, everything else is fine,’’ said Lejirmah, who took over the captainship this year from Dennis Maara of Limuru.
“I feel like I can shoot a serious under par score here and leave a mark. We have enjoyed the practise round and we are all set to go,’’ said Michael Karanga, who has won six Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) events this season.
During the practise round on Thursday, all the Kenyans fired under par scores, save for youngster Elvis Muigua who came out with a three over par.
Kenya, made up of Lejirmah, Karanga, Muigua and Adel Balala, came to Rwanda minus their coach John van Liefland.
Meanwhile, only six countries will battle it out for regional honours after the last minute withdrawal by Tanzania.
The six are Kenya, host Rwanda, Uganda, Seychelles, Ethiopia and Mauritius.
All the visiting teams arrived in Kigali on Wednesday morning and all had a chance to taste the super Kigali Golf Resort and Villas course, which looks completely different from the original Kigali Golf Club course.
The tournament, which was converted into the Africa Region IV from the East Africa Challenge Cup in 2019, was hosted by Addis Ababa Golf Club in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last year. The 2022 event was staged at the Lake Victory Serena in Kigo, Uganda.
On Friday, the six nations will play two rounds in the morning and afternoon, while the third round is set for Saturday and the final round on Sunday.
The tournament is being held under the auspices of the Africa Golf Confederation (AGC), whose President Johnson Omollo of Uganda, and the chairman of the technical committee in AGC, Philip Ochola, will hold a meeting to decide venues for the inaugural regional junior events hosts for 2025. Hosts for the other regional events will also be decided.
