Kenyan quartet gear up for Magical Kenya Ladies Open

The Kenyan quartet of Naomi Wafula, Mercy Nyanchama, Nancy Wairimu and Chanelle Wangari will compete against 96 professional golfers at this year’s Magical Kenya Ladies Open.

The tournament, which will be the season opener for the 2023 Ladies European Tour calendar, will be held at the PGA Baobab Course, Vipingo Ridge from February 2 to 5, with the Pro-Am set for February 1 at the same venue.

Naomi Wafula and Mercy Nyanchama will be making their third appearance at the tournament, having featured in the 2019 and 2022 editions, while 16-year-old Chanelle Wangari will be featuring for the second time.

Meanwhile, Nancy Wairimu will be making her debut.

The four amateur players will be looking to leave a mark at the tournament that boasts as the only professional ladies golf tournament in the East African region.

Vet Lab Sports Club’s Mercy Nyanchama was the highest-ranked Kenyan at the 2022 edition having finished in the 74th position on a round total of a 14 over par 158 gross.

Nyanchama is hoping to make the cut in this year’s tournament.

"I am very excited to play at this year's Magical Kenya Ladies Open. This will be the third time playing at the tournament and it is a really great learning opportunity as I look to turn pro in the near future.

I will be heading to Vipingo in the last week of this month for more practice before the event starts. Last year, I missed the cut by three shots and so I am hoping to make the cut this time round," said Nyanchama.

Vipingo Ridge’s PGA Academy star Naomi Wafula finished last year’s edition with a 20 over par total of 164 gross to tie in 90th place with France’s Marion Duvernay and Denmark’s Linette Littau.

She is also hoping for a much more robust outing.

“I am excited that the Magical Kenya Ladies Open is coming back to Kenya. I have been doing a lot of practice and training here at Vipingo Ridge as I prepare for the tournament, hoping to post better results than last year,” said Naomi.

“I have been going to the gym five days a week in order to remain in the best shape and my coach has been helping me with my daily practice routine. I am confident with my game at the moment which has really improved since last year’s tournament and I believe I am going to perform much better this year,” she added.

Defending champion Germany’s Esther Henseleit will be hoping to retain her crown.

The Magical Kenya Ladies Open will be the first in a series of 39 events on the Ladies European Tour 2023 calendar – the most fixtures ever held on the Tour.

Spectators can purchase tickets to the four-day tournament through the online platform www.ticketsasa.com which are retailing for Sh500.