Amateurs for Kabete Open

What you need to know:

  • Home player Mike Kisia is the man to beat this weekend as Kenya’s top amateurs converge at the par 72 Vet Lab Sports Club course for this year’s Kabete Open, a Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series event.
  • Two weeks ago, Kisia currently playing off plus three handicap, fired rounds of 72 and 74 at the tough playing Mombasa Golf Club course, to clinch the century old Coast Open’s Barry Cup.
  • He has been having a good run since the season started and being at home, Kisia is certainly the player the rest will have to beat.

Home player Mike Kisia is the man to beat this weekend as Kenya’s top amateurs converge at the par 72 Vet Lab Sports Club course for this year’s Kabete Open, a Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series event.

Two weeks ago, Kisia currently playing off plus three handicap, fired rounds of 72 and 74 at the tough playing Mombasa Golf Club course, to clinch the century old Coast Open’s Barry Cup.

He has been having a good run since the season started and being at home, Kisia is certainly the player the rest will have to beat.

Like Mombasa, Kisia who moved to second place in the KAGC series with 287 points, will face among others, club-mates Edwin Mudanyi, Robinson Owiti, Isaiah Otuke, Royal Nairobi’s Kenneth Bollo, Jay Sandhu and Dennis Saikwa, Samuel Njoroge and Alfred Nandwa of Railway, and current KAGC leader John Karichu of Limuru Country Club.

Karichu retained his lead in the series despite his poor performance in Mombasa where he shot two poor rounds of 80 and 81.

He still leads with 340 points though he will have to score some points this weekend to remain at the top.

“My golf just disappeared in Mombasa as I tried everything but nothing, not even putting which I am usually good at, worked for me,’’ said Karichu who has won the KAGC, formerly Golfer of The Year (Goty) title twice before.

This weekend’s Kabete Open is a 54-hole event that offers more KAGC points than the two rounds Coast Open, while it also counts towards the World Amateur Rankings.

Saturday's first round is set for 7am followed by the second round from noon while the third and final round will take place on Sunday.

Elsewhere, the popular Sunday Carnival golf series at Makuyu Golf Club in Muranga County, resumes this Sunday after a three-week break.

This weekend’s event, which has attracted a field of 100 players, is being sponsored by Empire Realtors, a real estate developing company, courtesy of Kamau Kimenju who will be using the event to promote his latest venture, the Laibon Industrial Park in Kapiti Plains where hundreds of plots are on offer.

The usual “nyama choma’’ will be in plenty at Makuyu where post entries are still being accepted.