Amateurs set their eyes on the 'Vasco Da Gama' Cup in Malindi

Kiambu’s Michael Karanga. [Maarufu Mohamed, Standard]

Top leading Amateurs have now set their eyes on the ‘Vasco Da Gama’ Cup in this year’s third Malindi Open Golf Tournament set to tee off from this Friday at the Malindi Golf and Country Club Course in Kilifi County.

These three days 54 holes strokes play tourney that brings together Amateurs from across the Country, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania is organized by the Kenya Golf Union (KGU) in its ongoing Calendar of events.

It’s a Kenya Amateur Golf Championship Series (KAGC) that will see the players earn points to the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) Points and fight to get a share from the 520,000 Kshs up for grabs by the best top 20 played including ties.

This event which started in 2022 is limited to 78 Players with 18.3 handicap index and below and is being jointly supported by I-Sal Intersteven Private Charter, Kilifi County Government, Jambo jet, NCBA Bank and M-Val Properties who has placed on offer a 50 by 100 feet plot in Gilgil for any Golfer who sinks a ‘Hole In-One.”

Defending Champion Michael Karanga from Kiambu Golf Club who last weekend successfully retained the Railway Invitation title in the KAGC series has confirmed participation.

He is expected to face stiff challenges from Last year’s runners up Isaack Makhoha of Vet lab and third placed Sammy Mulama of Mombasa Golf Club as Nyali’s Adel Balala was yet to confirm.

Among others also expected to put up strong fight are Railway’s John Lejirma, Limuru’s Dennis Maara with Coast Locals that includes Veteran Golfers like KGU Coast representative Eric Nyongesa, Gurbux Singh, Henry Kamau, Solomon Majanga, Omar Lewa and host players like Walter Okoth and Joseph Sulubu.

Malindi Golf Club Captain Henry Akello yesterday confirmed that the Course is playing well with the weather being good and thanked the Malindi Club’s entire team for ensuring the Course met all the standard and that they are all looking forward to a successful event and a tour of the Touristic town.

“We believe the players will enjoy the Course.We take this opportunity to welcome all the players to Malindi for this year's event where we expect all Kenyan team players and foreign players as well to grace this competition, “said Akello.

He pointed out that the course will close on Thursday,19^th, September at 2pm to allow preparations and thanked KGU for bringing the event back to Malindi.

The captain said Malindi is a touristic town and urged the Golfers and Guests to enjoy the game and also find time to explore the beauty of the town.

Kilifi County Governor Gideon Mung’aro who is expected to be the Guest of honor during the prize giving ceremony on Sunday evening said yesterday that the County will continue to capitalize on such sporting events to revive tourism in Kilifi.

“We welcome the players not only to enjoy this game of Golf but also find time to tour the Touristic town of Malindi as well. We fully support this event and have identified such Sports as a pillar to revive Tourism in the County to Place Kilifi as a Sports destination, “said Mung’aro.

Malindi Golf and Country Club is located to the north of Malindi town, off the Lamu Road and was founded in 1962.

The Sea-level Golf Course that features the Course Tees and additional Greens on the second nine, has six par threes, eight par fours and four par fives, with finely contoured greens nestled alongside the sand dunes of Malindi’s seaside.

It also features large broad lush fairways with forgiving roughs, bordering a series of indigenous forests and wetlands on all sides.

The ongoing KGU series will finalize with the Nyali Open Championship at Nyali Golf and Country Club Course scheduled in December where the Golfer of the year 2024 will be named and crowned.