Nairobi, Sunday, October 28, 2024: Home player Stephen Gichari put up a spirited fight to emerge the overall winner at the final qualifying leg of the 2024 NCBA Golf Series at the Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort.
This was the last local qualifying event in the series that teed off in March at the Kenya Railway Golf Club, with qualifying events not only across the country but also across the region to Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Gichari led a contingent of five other players from the club to book their slots for the Grand Finale set for next month at the Muthaiga Golf Club from a pack of more than 150 golfers who had turned out at Naivasha.
The Naivasha event saw the top male and female finishers in Divisions One and Two, and the overall winner in Division Three, together with the overall Junior winner reserve their spots for the finale at Muthaiga on the 29th of November 2024.
Playing off handicap 5, the overall winner returned an impressive score of 36 points to claim the top prize on top of hitting the closest to the pin on hole number 8.
Sissel Rene scored 36 points as well to emerge the lady winner as George Mukundi and Agnes Githinji claim the men’s and ladies’ Division Two prizes respectively as well as their slots in the finale.
Handicap 17 Mukundi carded 36 points as well while Githinji managed 29 points playing off handicap 23.
Svein Rene (Handicap 29) was the overall winner in Division Three after posting 37 points while Sacha Abbonizio won the junior category after accumulating 35 points for the day.
The staff category was won by Agnes Nyambura who also had the closest to the pin hit among the ladies while Danson Ndichu emerged as the guest winner.
NCBA Branch Manager, Naivasha, Frank Matheah stated: ” This year’s series has been exceptional, and we have seen it grow in terms of the participants, the number of events, as well as the increase in the number of regional events and this makes us look forward to the finale. Congratulations to all the winners for their exemplary display on the course. From their hard work, they have earned themselves the chance to play at Muthaiga next month and rightfully so. We wish them well and hope that they will represent this great club well.”
One more regional qualifying tournament is set to be in Tanzania next month to determine the final team that will book a slot for the season finale.
