This past weekend, Nyali Golf Club welcomed the Safaricom Golf Tour for the eight leg of the tour which kicked off at the end of January on Nanyuki. Nyali Golf Club is in upmarket Nyali area, 8km off the island of Mombasa, which became a member’s club in 1974.
As the golf tour matches on, it continues to attract interest and players from the clubs it pitches camp, as well as from visiting members from reciprocating clubs. We now have 6 legs remaining before the tour culminates in a grand finale at Vipingo Ridge in August. As per the current numbers, the tour has drawn over 4,500 golfers split between golfers both junior and senior, junior clinics, and outreach programs which are meant to identify golf talent outside of the courses.
In a unique outcome, this time the overall junior winners are siblings, 16 year old Alyssa Jamal and her brother Aydan Jamal. Alyssa golf journey started at just 3 years of age, when she would follow her father around the course and hit the balls. With time she developed a deeper interest, started playing more seriously and has never stopped to date. She now has a handicap index of 8.3 and says that the Nyali game was quite interesting, rough for the first 9 holes and an easier second half.
Her brother Jamal is elated to have won alongside his sister with whom he has played since he was young. He feels that the course went in his favour and he did not encounter any major challenges, and is happy to see their joint interest in the game come to fruition with a tournament win with Alyssa.
The two siblings, also students at Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, posted a stunning gross of 83 and 93 points in an eighteen-hole tournament to claim the best girl and boy titles, respectively, during the juniors tournament that drew 63 junior participants from all the six counties of the Coast including Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Tana River and Taita Taveta.
In the Boys category 7 years and below, Jeff Kibe who I had the pleasure of speaking to in Karen had an impressive 51. Catch up with the story of how Jeff has crafted his game over the years under the stewardship of his father Simon Kibe who is the General Manager Nanyuki Sports Club.
As part of growing Golf among the juniors in the country, Safaricom has partnered with Junior Golf Foundation to tap and nurture young talent in the golf sport. The juniors can register with Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) for KES.1,000 and have access to any golf club in the country to play Golf.
In the corporate tournament which took place on Saturday, Kailesh Chauhan walked away with the overall win. Kailesh is a Nyali Golf Club member and is grateful to Safaricom for a very well-organized tournament. He becomes the eighth overall winner with a guaranteed slot in the finals in Vipingo in August. Other winners are Don Riaroh of Karen, Alice Awiti, former caddie Cyprian Bundi, junior Golfer Leo Gitonga, Zain Manji, Lydia Jebichii, and Simon Kimatu.
After Nyali, the tournament heads to South Rift’s Kericho Golf Club on 4th June 2022.