Upsets galore as Makokha cruises to the Matchplay semis

Home player Isaac Makokha cruised to the semi-finals of this year’s Kenya Amateur Match Play Championship after beating Royal Nairobi’s Kevin Juma 5-4 in the quarter-finals on Saturday at the par 72 Vet Lab Sports Club course.

Makokha, a golfer with an hearing impairment, was due to meet Muthaiga Golf Club’s Njoroge Kibugu who caused one of the morning’s major upsets after beating one of the leading juniors in the country Taimur Malik also from Muthaiga 2-1.

Two juniors put up a spirited fight though Kibugu managed to end the match for Malik at the 17th hole.

Kibugu had qualified for the quarter-finals after beating Nyali’s Adel Balala while the South Africa-based Malik had beaten Shivam Shah, to make his way to the last eight.

Makokha eliminated Sammy Mulama in the round of 16, to qualify for the quarter-finals against the long-hitting Kevin Juma.

It was however a tough day for tournament favourite and Kenya’s top junior golfer Mutahi Kibugu as he was engaged in a battle against Kenya Railway’s John Lejirmah. Railway's Lejirmah eventually emerged the winner with a narrow one hole victory in a match that went all the way to the home green.

Lejirmah was due to meet Royal Nairobi’s Jay Sandhu who beat Simon Njogu from the Great Rift Valley Golf Resort in Naivasha with a 2-1 margin.

The winner in this year’s championship will earn a ticket to the 2021 Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club in March.

Meanwhile, over 100 players were battling it out in the first round of the stableford subsidiary event which attracted mostly Vet Lab members.

The championship final and the third and fourth place play off will take place on Sunday along with the second subsidiary event.