Africa’s amateur golfers head to Limuru for team championship

Over 18 African countries will take part in the 15th Edition of the Africa Amateur Golf Team Championship at the par-72 Limuru Golf Course from Sunday.

According to the programme, the six-day event, which is being hosted in Kenya for the first time, starts tomorrow (Saturday) with registration and will end next Friday.

Kenyan golfers will be seeking superiority in the tourney, but face great challenges from the visitors. Among countries that will participate include South Africa, Tanzania, Swaziland, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Egypt.

Others are Rwanda, Botswana, Seychelles, Namibia and title holders, Uganda. South Africa is the only country that has won the event six times, starting with a win in 2003 in Botswana, followed by victories in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013 in Swaziland.

Kenya and neighbours Uganda will use the event as a training ground ahead of 2015’s East African Golf Challenge Championship in Kigali, Rwanda next month.

Each country will field four golfers in the Limuru event. Last month, Kenya Golf Union named the national team after the 54-hole qualifying golf event held at the Limuru golf course.

The team has captain John Karichu (Limuru), Jay Sandhu (Royal), Bo Ciera (Royal), John Kariuki (Limuru) and Paul Muchangi (Limuru).

KGU Chairman Anthony Muhoro said the team has experienced players, who went through a rigorous qualifying round that attracted 53 leading golfers.

Muhoro is the the team’s head of delegation and will be assisted by Tournament Director Muchau Githiaka and coach, Brian Njoroge.

The event will be contested over rounds of strokes played by each team, where only the best three scores per round will count towards the team total.

The country with the lowest gross score at the end of the championship will be crowned champions. The championship, according to the Kenya Golf Union, is worth about Sh10 million and is currently supported by world golf body Royal and Ancient, Kenya Power, Kenya Tourism Board, Access Kenya, AAR, and IMG Public Relations.

This championship is held every two years and is hosted by members of the Africa Golf Confederation (AGC).

The competition, regarded as the most prestigious golf event in Africa, is hosted under the auspices of the R&A of Scotland, Africa Golf Confederation and membership is open to all national golf associations in Africa.

Meanwhile, after successfully hosting the 2015 annual open Diani Beach Master championships, which was won by Vet Lab’s Robinson Owiti, it will be business as usual at the par-72 Leisure Lodge Golf Course in South Coast, as golfers meet for another round of swings.

Today, 100 golfers will be in action for the 5th African Governance, Leadership, and Manager Convention Golf Day, while tomorrow, the same venue will host some 150 golfers for the Commercial Bank of Africa-sponsored golf tournament.

Both events will be day-long, 18 hole stable ford tournaments.

At the same time, a field of 180 players has been enlisted for the Deloitte Corporate Golf Day that starts today at Karen Country Club.

This is a biennial tourney for the company’s clients to network with peers on the fairways and greens, while enjoying a good swing.

Deloitte being one of the world’s largest professional services organisations, offering a wide range of world-class audit, tax, and advisory services, has well-diversified clientele from the public to the private sector, donor agencies and not-for-profit organisations. Meanwhile, Sarova Hotel’s Annual Golf Challenge will be held at Royal Nairobi Golf Club today, thereafter, prize giving will start from 6:30pm at the same venue.

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