Nduva wins Nyali Open with Ndegwa, 92, in field
Daniel Nduva follows the progress of his shot during the Uhuru Shield Tournament on December 3, 2016 at Royal Nairobi Golf Club. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |
What you need to know:
- Kenya Amateur Open strokeplay champion Daniel Nduva beat Tanzania’s Victor Joseph by five shots, to clinch the 2017 Nyali Open golf championship title at the challenging Nyali Golf and Country Club’s par 71 course on Sunday.
- A fairly long hitter, Nduva, currently in a golf school in South Africa, carded four over par 75 in the final round for a total of six over par 219.
Kenya Amateur Open strokeplay champion Daniel Nduva beat Tanzania’s Victor Joseph by five shots, to clinch the 2017 Nyali Open golf championship title at the challenging Nyali Golf and Country Club’s par 71 course on Sunday.
A fairly long hitter, Nduva, currently in a golf school in South Africa, carded four over par 75 in the final round for a total of six over par 219.
This year, the Open, the grand finale of the 2017 Kenya Amateur Championship series, attracted 91 players including professionals who were led by John Wangai of Sigona who carded rounds of 78, 69 and 75 for 222 to win ahead of Vet Lab’s Mathew Omondi on 224.
The amateurs included the 92-year-old former Central Bank of Kenya Governor Duncan Ndegwa, who is probably the first African in Kenya to start playing golf in way back in 1955 at St. Andrews, Scotland, and whose first major prize to win in a club event was the 1967 Limuru Captain’s prize.
“It was very refreshing playing with all these young and talented players. I enjoyed playing those 54 holes although at one time, I felt like I was going to give up,” said Ndegwa, a former Kenya Golf Union patron.
This is the second time Nduva beat the Tanzanian player, a product of the late senior pro Charles Farrar’s junior programme.
“The course was very tough for most of us today that’s why no one was able to shoot under par. I am happy though that I was able to keep the Nyali Open trophy at home,” said Nduva, whose victory earned him a place in next year’s Barclays Kenya Open.
Nduva dropped five shots at the front nine where he only birdied the second hole. He, however, played a conservative back nine, picking up eight pars with only a single bogey coming at the 17th par five.
Joseph, on the other hand, bogeyed three holes at the front nine but managed to pick up two birdies on the back nine’s par fives for the day’s two over par 73 and a total of 224 gross, beating another South African-based Kenyan player Mathew Wahome on countback and pushing the former Coast Open champion Wahome into third place.
Paul Muchangi, Robinson Owiti and William Kaguta won the first, second and third round gross on two over par each.
