Kimani ready to tee off

By James Waindi

Vet Lab’s resident professional Ali Kimani plans to take advantage of his current form to rule the roast at the KCB regional golf tour teeing off at the par 72 Thika Sports Club today.

Kimani, who narrowly lost to Nakuru’s Richard Ainley at last year’s grand finale in Nyali, says he has learnt from his past mistakes and is out to amend as he aims for a podium finish in all the eight rounds.

Kimani teed off this season in style with a five under score in the Professional Golfer of Kenya (PGK) Masters event at the Sigona and Royal Golf clubs at the weekend and he plans to build on the success at the KCB series.

"I am currently hitting the ball better so I am looking forward to a better season this year.

I know after last year’s experience, the challenge will be tough this year, but I am prepared for the fight," said Kimani, who will receive stiff competition from Ainley, Golf Park’s Jacob Okello, Nicholas Rokoine, Dismas Indiza and Hardeep Thethy.

Local professionals

The 54-hole event tees off this morning and is set to bring together 30 local professionals who would battle it out for the Sh450, 000 prize money at stake.

This year’s tournament is set to go around East Africa in an eight round series with a total purse of Sh12.5 million.

The new tour incorporates events in Arusha, Kampala and Kigali all enjoying a Sh1m prize fund each whereas Kenya will have four events as follows: Thika (Sh450,000), Muthaiga (Sh550,000), Nakuru (Sh450,000) and Nyanza (Sh450,000).

Club captain Ndiga Kithae urged the pros to avoid the rough, saying it was very tricky and noted that the greens were fast.

"The course is in a very good condition at the moment. The greens are fast and the fairway is very good, but the rough is crazy, the players would rather avoid the rough," said Kithae.

The KCB East African Golf Tour tournaments director, Elisha Kasuku, said the tour was Kenya’s premier golf championship modelled along the lines of the Sunshine, Asia, and European and US PGA tours.

International circuit

"The competitiveness of the sport in the region has been phenomenal in the last three years and this has paid off by having a growing number of our professionals play in international circuits in Africa and Europe," said Kasuku.

After the KCB Biashara Club Invitational in Thika Golf Club, action would move to Muthaiga for the KCB Advantage Banking Challenge in March, then the KCB S&L Mortgages Classic in Nyanza Golf Club in April, KCB Bank Tanzania Open in Arusha Golf Club in May, the KCB Corporate Banking Open in Nakuru Golf Club in June, KCB Bank Rwanda Open in Kigali Golf Club in June and the KCB Bank Uganda Open in Uganda Golf Club in July, culminating in the grand finale in August.

The KCB Classic, which will mark the end of the Tour, is expected to attract more than 100 professional golfers from Eastern and Southern Africa.