Do-or-die for local pros in hunt for Kenya Open slot
What you need to know:
- Courtesy of an increased prize kitty, the 11th and final leg has attracted a field of 60 players which is the highest in the tour.
It is do-or-die for local professional golfers as they embark on the final leg of the 2019/2020 Safari Tour at the par 72 Karen Country Club course on Sunday.
Courtesy of an increased prize kitty, the 11th and final leg has attracted a field of 60 players which is the highest in the tour.
Of the total entry, hosts Kenya will have 40 players who include amateurs Paul Muchangi of Limuru, former ladies champion Naomi Wafula, and 13-year-old Channelle Wangari from Vet Lab Sports Club.
Muchangi, who is the current Kenya Amateur Match Play champion, skipped the Muthaiga Open which is also taking place this weekend, to play at Karen as part of his preparation for the Magical Kenya Open to be held at the same venue from March 12-15.
Uganda, which hosts four of the 11 tournaments in the tour, will be represented by 10 players while Zimbabwe have entered four, Malawi and Zambia two each, with Nigeria and Tanzania having entered one pro.
The Nigeria entry is that of Andrew Odoh, who won the 10th leg, the Kitante Open, last weekend and who is 13th overall in the Safari Tour ranking. Odoh is second for the regional players with 210, behind Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi who leads with 214 points, with Uganda’s Philip Kasozi in third place on 208.5 points.
The coming week will therefore be very crucial for Kasozi who will need to win at Karen to dislodge either Odoh or Chinhoi depending on how the two play. For the locals, Windsor’s Riz Charania, David Wakhu of Golf Park, Thika Greens Kopan Timbe and Sigona’s John Wangai occupy the last four qualification slots which are also being sort by Justus Madoya of the Great Rift Valley Golf Resort, Golf Park’s Tony Omuli, both winners of an event each in the tour.
The Karen leg, which tees off on Sunday with a Pro-Am ahead of the main tournament on Sunday, will have a total prize fund of Sh3 million, increased from Sh1 million and where the winner will take home Sh450,000 – making it the second most lucrative event on the 2019/2020 calendar after the Uganda Open.
Dismas Indiza, Simon Ngige, Greg Snow and Erick Ooko are assured of a place in the European Tour sanctioned Magical Kenya Open tournament. Indiza leads the “Road to Kenya Open Ranking" with 395.1 points followed by Ngige 381.9, Snow’s 376.5 and Ooko who has 317.3 points.
Indiza from Mumias Golf Club, and Muthaiga’s Snow are sponsored by East Africa Breweries’ Johnnie Walker. On the other hand, besides Chinhoi and Odoh, other key regional players at Karen will be Zambia’s Madalitso Muthiya, a winner of the 2019 Uganda Open and a regular player in the Sunshine Tour as well as Zimbabwe’s Tongo Charamba who finished in 17th place in the Kitante Open after a poor 79 in the final round for 15th over par 303.
