Orinda takes early lead at Ruiru Open
Steve Orinda of Vet Lab sports Club follows the progress of his tee shot from 18th hole tee box during Kiambu Open Stroke Play Championship at Kiambu Golf Club on November 20, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Orinda recovered from a first hole bogey start to eagle the par five-second, dropped a shot at the third but finished the front nine with a birdie at the eighth
- Golf Park's Leming'ani birdied four holes, two in each nine but dropped three shots a the fourth, fifth and seventh
- Balala, birdied five holes (eighth, 10th, 12th, 13th and 16th) but dropped an equal number of shots three at the front nine’s first, seventh and ninth, and later on at the 14th and 17th to level the Ruiru course, hence tie with the national team player Lejirmah
Vet Lab Sports Club’s Steve Orinda produced an opening round of two under par 71, to grab a one shot lead in the opening round of the inaugural Ruiru Open, a Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series at the par 73 Ruiru Sports Club course on Friday.
He recovered from a first hole bogey start to eagle the par five-second, dropped a shot at the third but finished the front nine with a birdie at the eighth. And despite dropping his second shot of the day at the 14th, Orinda managed to pick up two birdies at the 15th and 17th for the day’s 71, which was a shot better than Rafael Leming'ani’s one under par 72.
Golf Park's Leming'ani birdied four holes, two in each nine but dropped three shots a the fourth, fifth and seventh. Meanwhile, Nyali Golf and Country Club’s Adel Balala and leading amateur golfer in 2022 John Lejirmah tied in third place on level par 73.
Balala, birdied five holes (eighth, 10th, 12th, 13th and 16th) but dropped an equal number of shots, three at the front nine’s first, seventh and ninth, and later on at the 14th and 17th to level the Ruiru course, hence tie with the national team player Lejirmah who birdied the eighth, ninth, 10th and 13th though against bogeys over the first, seventh, and 11th and 14th.
Another Nyali player Tahir Mohammed carded one over par 74, to lead a group of six players which included home player Chris Andrea, Vet Lab’s Isaac Makokha, Muthaiga’s Godfrey Butich, Railway’s Joseph Gathumbi and the only female player in the tournament, Channelle Wangari of Vet Lab.
Of the victorious national team players who retained the Africa Region 4 Golf Championship in Addis Ababa, only three, Lejirmah, Elvis Muigua and their captain Dennis Maara are featuring in the NCBA Bank sponsored tournament.
The fourth player, Michael Karanga was due to fly out on Friday evening to United Kingdom where he was invited to participate in the British Amateur Championship in Southport, England from June 19 to 24. He was invited because of his current top form which saw him win five tournaments in the 2023 KAGC series so far.
