Shashwat wins Kabete Junior Challenge trophy

Kabete Junior Challenge overall boys' winner Harish Shashwat. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

Remember the name Harish Shashwat. He is not your ordinary golfer.

The 14-year-old from Muthaiga Golf Club secured victory after enduring four tough rounds of self-caddying while battling a cold and flu at the 7040-yard Vet Lab Sports Club.

His impressive performance, with rounds of 79, 78, 72, and 75 totaling 304, allowed him to outshine last year's runner-up, Nathan Mwangi of Karen Golf and Country Club.

Mwangi faced challenges in the final round, struggling to convert his tee shots, before finishing at four-over 76. Unfortunately, the defending champion, Mikael Kihara, was unable to participate due to an injury.

Despite a tough start, Shashwat's strong mental game enabled him to overcome obstacles and achieve the winning score.

"These past four days have been quite a challenge because of some tough flu, but I'm glad, I managed to persevere even when I made mistakes by minimising the impact of the same, thanks to my mental game," Shashwat said.

In the girls' category, Belinda Wanjiru reclaimed her title as the overall winner, posting a total of 79, 78, 81, and 81 (319) over four rounds.

She expressed her intention to work on her chipping skills to address her struggles in that area.

"I will practice more on my short game which was shaky and cost me a lot of strokes. I left many chip shots, short of my target, but luckily my iron game was superb and very accurate and compensated for the other shortcomings. Overall, I was happy with my game and the direction its taken," said Wanjiru.

2nd Kabete Junior Challenge Overall boy winner Shashwat Harish (left) and Overall girl winner Belinda Wanjiru (right) with host Captain Eric Karuga (center) at Vet Lab Sports Club, July 28, 2024. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

The President of the Junior Golf Foundation (JGF), Regina Gachora, acknowledged the outstanding performance of Shashwat and Wanjiru.

She also announced Wanjiru's achievement of earning her World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), positioning her among the top global players.

The JGF aims to have 50 WAGR-ranked junior players in Kenya, and the progress is evident through the notable performances of the junior golfers.

Vincent Mukiri, the JGF vice-president, praised the management of Vet Lab Sports Club, parents, coaches, and the juniors for their exemplary organisation of the tournament.

He highlighted the positive impact of the WAGR-ranked tournaments on the development of junior golfers and their potential to contribute to the JGF Order of Merit.