Kenya’s top amateur Karanga finishes sixth in Egypt

Kenya’s leading amateur golfer Michael Karanga tied for sixth place during the 2023 Egyptian Amateur Open Golf Championship at the Al Gouna Golf Club in Hurghada, on Tuesday.

Karanga from Kiambu Golf Club, who holds both the two golf majors titles in the country, said he was unlucky in the final round in Egypt.

“I missed many birdie opportunities in the final round, but that is golf for you. It doesn’t happen when you really want," said Karanga, who is currently ranked 87th in the world following 12 victories, 19 top 10 finishes in the last one year.

Karanga is the reigning Kenya Amateur Match Play Championship and Kenya Open Stroke Play champion  and is currently leading in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series.

He had started the final round well, picking up two back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth holes, closed the opening nine with a birdie, but a bogey at the very beginning of the second nine, and others on the 13th, 15th and 16th saw him close with one over par 73 for a total of level 216.

This threw him four shots adrift of eventually winner Marc Steinhauser of Switzerland who he had battled closely with in the opening rounds where Karanga was only a shot behind.

Steinhauser, who started with a level 72, later carded one under 71 and three under 69 in the closing round for four under par 212, to win by two shots from Morocco’s Sinan Mehliu on two under par 214.

Karanga tied with Egypt’s Issa Abou El Ela, Morocco’s Youssef El Hali, and Abderhamane Fakori alsofrom Morocco.

Another Kenyan player Daniel Kiragu of Muthaiga finished in 15th place with 16 over par 232 gross.

Karanga says he would like to participate in this year’s Uganda Open Amateur Championship Uganda Golf Club, Kitante Road Kampala.

The Uganda Open, which comes just before the professional tournament, is set for October 18 to 20, after the Junior Open and Ladies Open.

Meanwhile back home, Karanga is expected to resume his hunt for record victories in the ongoing KAGC series with the Kabete Open at Vet Lab Sports Club this weekend where a victory for him, will amount to 11 wins out of 19 events, with seven more tournaments to go before the end of the season.