NAKURU, KENYA: National team golfer Alfred Nandwa scooped top honours in the final leg of Kenya Forest Service (KFS) golf series at the par 73 Njoro Country Club course in Nakuru County on Saturday.
The tournament, sponsored by KFS, was played on a course that was started by Railway engineers in 1903 as a social ‘watering hole’ before additional land was donated by Lord Delamere in 1923.
Nandwa, a Nakuru Club golfer playing off zero handicap, posted 38 stableford points, having played a double 19 points on each nine to claim the victory.
The event attracted 82 golfers from different clubs.
Nandwa rounded up both nines by sinking three rare birdies on the par-five eighth, par-five 12th and par-five 16th holes.
He rolled level pars on the rest of the holes except the shortest par-three 15th, where he dropped a bogey shot but that did not deter him from bringing the best score of the day and claiming the trophy.
“The course was smooth and my calculated putting worked to my advantage. I thank the sponsors for bringing the tournament to this region,” said Nandwa.
Nandwa beat the captain of Thika Sports Club, handicap 15 Charles Ngunjiri, who took the runners-up position by a point’s difference.
Handicap 36 Anne Mathenge of Njoro Club was the lady winner on 32 points and handicap 26 Susan Minjire was second on 30 points.
Formerly known as the Misitu Challenge, the event is aimed at promoting and creating environmental awareness among Kenyan golfers.
This year’s campaign is to encourage golfers to plant over 200,000 trees as part of an ongoing drive to reach ten per cent national tree cover as stated in Vision 2030.
The events began on May 25 in Limuru and have so far been played at Thika, Sigona, Karen, Kitale, Nyali, Eldoret, Vet Lab and Njoro clubs.
Oldest club
Njoro is one of the oldest clubs in the country and has attracted visits by Edward the Prince of Wales. The club leads in tree planting among Kenyan golf clubs.
KFS Chairman Peter Kirigua said the firm intends to have the golf fraternity plant 25 million trees in ten years.
“This golf event is aimed at sensitising golfers on the importance of forest management and conservation by having them plant trees in and out of their clubs,” he said.
The KFS Golf Series was introduced in 2010 under the slogan ‘Forestation through the game of golf.’
Unlike in the past three years, when each round produced finalists, the 2013 series had no grand finale.
On the par 70 Karen course, handicap 8 Graig Griffins scored 41 points to win the Four Ball Betterball Subsidiary event while handicap 21 John Mutua was the runners-up on 40 points and handicap 14 Wildred Ngaruiya was third on 39 points.
The J. Seagon/Bupa event played at the nine-hole Thika club was won by handicap 28 G. Okoth on 45 points, two points ahead of handicap 28 David Mwangi who came second while third-placed was handicap 2 Patrick King’ori on 42 points.
The par 72 Ruiru course that hosted the Peponi event saw handicap 22 Mwaura Kairu win on 66 nett, while handicap 27 K. Kimenju was the runners-up on a score of 66 nett. In third place was handicap 19 Col Matu who had 67 nett.
The 2013 Coopers tournament played at the par 71 Vet Lab Golf Club on Saturday saw handicap 15 Edward Mwangi emerge the winner on 41 points, while handicap 14 C. Jobanputra had a countback score of 39 points for the runners-up slot, beating handicap 22 Philip Musyimi to third place on the same points.
By MOHAMED MARUFU, The Standard