Ruiru hosts Chairman’s Prize golf tourney

Ruiru Sports Club will tomorrow host 290 golfers for the Chairman’s Prize which will culminate into a week-long series of activities.

Coming two weeks after the Captain’s Prize, the event is a treat for Chairman Dominic Chege, who has just been re-elected unopposed for a second term.

The event is sponsored by KCB Bank, Cascade Institute of Hospitality among other organisations.

On Thursday, at least 30 local top amateurs and professionals took part in a pro-am tournament that had a cash prize kitty of Sh100,000.

“It has been an exciting journey that can only be culminated with a tournament that brings together juniors, pros and amateurs,” said Chege, the Club Chairman.

Meanwhile, about 150 junior golfers will compete at the first leg of the 2023 Interschool Golf Tournament today at the Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club.

The tournament running under the Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) aims to provide a platform for young golfers to showcase their skills and compete against their peers.

Going first, the non-handicapped junior event will tee off and the young golfers will take to the course in a bid to emerge champions in the different age-appropriate categories.

The junior golf players are drawn from 19 schools around Nairobi and its environs which include; Kiota School, Aga Khan Academy, Nairobi, Limuru Children’s Centre, Braeside Primary School, Kenton College, Rosslyn Academy, Braeburn School- Gitanga Road, Premier Academy, Oshwal Junior High, Braeburn Garden Estate, St. Austin’s Academy, St. Ruth School, Makini Cambridge, Light Academy, Swedish School Association, Crawford International School, Montessori Learning Centre – Prep, Nova Pioneer and Garden Brook School.

JGF president Regina Gachora who spoke ahead of the event stated: “A tournament like this is essential in developing the golfing talents of young people.

Showcase their skills

“It provides them with a platform to showcase their skills and exposes them to multiple opportunities to compete on a global scale. We, therefore, look forward to this tournament hoping to see some great golfing display by our juniors.”

Additionally, JGF has picked seven junior golfers for the All-Africa Junior Team Golf Championship that will be held in Kampala Uganda in April.

JGF had come up with a list of the 20 best junior golfers who were invited to train together before the final players were picked for the Uganda assignment. From the list of 20, five junior players were unavailable for various reasons while 15 players went through three weeks of training.

The players enlisted played a qualifying tournament in the frame of last weekend’s Muthaiga Open before the final squad got selected.