Impressive Kinuthia claims Kiambu’s Year Opener tourney

What you need to know:

  • Handicap 22 golfer Julius Njuguna Kinuthia emerged the winner of the Year Opener golf tournament sponsored by Githunguri golfers at the par 72 Kiambu Golf Club course at the weekend.
  • And he needed four pars to return an impressive 38 points in the event which attracted a field of 102 players.
  • He won by one point from Benson Muchoki, who carded 37 points to beat Johan van Develde to third place.

Handicap 22 golfer Julius Njuguna Kinuthia emerged the winner of the Year Opener golf tournament sponsored by Githunguri golfers at the par 72 Kiambu Golf Club course at the weekend.

And he needed four pars to return an impressive 38 points in the event which attracted a field of 102 players.

He won by one point from Benson Muchoki, who carded 37 points to beat Johan van Develde to third place.

Leading the ladies was the handicap five Joyce Wanjiru, one of the leading golfers in the country, who posted 34 points to win by a point from Lucy Karao.

There was stiff competition for the gross title among the single figure handicap golfers where Michael Ngene, who is also the club champion fired three over par 75 to claim the title.

Ngere parred the first nine holes and was heading for a clean round until he bogeyed the 13th, scratched the 15th and picked up a bogey with a hole to go. A birdie earlier at the 16th helped him to recover one hole at least.

Ngene also claimed the men’s longest drive while Joyce Wanjiru took the ladies longest drive prize. 

Thika Sports Club’s Bernard Kangethe was the best guest player with 35 points while the sponsors were led by Jackson Ndungu with the day’s best score of 39 points.

He won by five points from George Waweru. Maina Njakwe and Michael Karanga won the first and second nine on 20 and 22 points.

At Limuru, birdie-hungry Kamau Muigai fired in four birdies for a magnificent 44 points to claim the overall titles in the Bankers Golf tournament.

Playing off handicap 15 Muigai, started with a bogey at the first hole, dropped one more at the fifth, but birdied the sixth and seventh and was heading to a level par outward nine until he picked a nine at par four-eighth.

He made two more birdies at the 15th and 18th but against bogeys at the 11th and 17th and two doubles at the 10th and 16th.

One of the top amateurs at the club John Gathu fired one under par 42 points in a round which included five birdies and four bogeys to win the men’s first prize ahead of Godwin Wangongu on 39 and former amateur strokeplay champion John Kariuki on 38 points.

The ladies top prize went to Wairimu Thande on 38.