Despite dropping five shots in the back nine, Chanelle Wangari is not relenting in her bid for a maiden Ladies European Tour cut.
The sixteen-year-old amateur played her heart out in her LET debut in round one of the Magical Kenya Ladies Open in Vipingo closing Day 1 with 4 over par 77.
She then went into the 10th tee tied for 8th (on level par) but her fortunes dwindled in the latter stages much to her chagrin.
Thursday’s round saw the talented young Kenyan post four birdies on holes 2,7,9 and 15.
But the soft-spoken golfer was left to rue back-to-back bogies on the Par 4 16th, Par 3 17th and Par 4 18th to dip further on the leaderboard.
“The greens were faster than I thought. But the goal tomorrow (Friday) is to make the cut,” quipped Chanelle, adding: “The front nine was a lot of fun, but the back nine wasn't that good.”
Commenting on the weather situation at the par 73 PGA accredited course, where searing heat and windy conditions played out in the afternoon session, Chanelle said: “When I started off in the morning, it was quite cool. There wasn’t so much wind. So, it was a good first nine. Second nine, I lost a few shots on holes number 16, 17 and 18."
"There is nothing I can say about it. I could have done something better-but then again- that’s golf,” explained Chanelle.
The 2021 Ladies Amateur Match-play champion went into the 1st tee determined to build up a good score.
“I felt prepared to go on to the golf course where I have been doing my practice and the essence was to enjoy myself out there. I just want to thank Safaricom for their support,” she said.
She continued: “ It is really good of them to do such things for us. They don’t have to, but they did it for us. This motivates us to work even harder.”
Chanelle now has to play a pretty low score in round two on Friday to harbour any hopes of making the cut going into the weekend.
“In Kenya, this is like the biggest competition for us. But for our visitors, it's something they are used to all the time. So having competitions like this in Kenya would be better for us going forward.”
Meanwhile, Team Kenya led by Naomi Wafula, Mercy Nyanchama, Nancy Wairimu, Jacquelyne Walter, and Vetlab’s 16-year-old Chanelle Wangari received Sh 1 million from Safaricom’s M-PESA Globalpay as the 2023 Magical Kenya Ladies Open teed off at Vipingo Ridge Golf Course.
The sponsorship is additional support after the telco last week announced Sh26.8 million for the event.
This year, Safaricom has also sponsored four female junior golfers Jacinta Njeri from Nakuru, Kanana Muthomi (Nairobi), Idda Rose (Coast) and Vivienne Otunde (Kisii) who took part in the Pro-Am tournament.
“As part of continued support for the growth of golf among women and girls in the country, Safaricom is proud to announce a Sh1 million sponsorship for all our five Kenya players who will be taking part in the tournament. The sponsorship will cater for financial support and kitting,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO Safaricom.
