Wahome, Balala and Wafula among top names eyeing Barry Cup at Coast Open

 Kiambu's Joyce Wanjiru during the 2024 NCBA Kiambu Open/ HANDOUT 

Andrew Wahome, Adel Balala, William Odek, Mary Kandu and Naomi Wafula are among the over 65 elite amateur golfers set to take part in the 105th edition of the NCBA Coast Open Barry Cup.

The three-day event, one of Kenya’s oldest tournaments and a key leg of the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) Series, will tee off tomorrow through to Sunday at the Mombasa Golf Club. The event will offer a prize purse of Sh 400,000, with the overall winner pocketing Sh 86,800.

Focus will be on the third-placed Elvis Muigua, who will be seeking to close in on Michael Karanga and potentially climb to second place in the standings, with current series leader John Lejirma missing in action. 

Lejirma is currently atop the KAGC standings with over 1,720 points, having already secured multiple titles this season, including the Ruiru Open,  Windsor Classic and GoldFields Trophy.

His dominant run across both stroke play and match play formats continues to cement his status as one of Kenya’s top amateur golfers.

NCBA Group managing director, John Gachora, said the Coast Open is an important part of the KAGC Series and reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting elite amateurs.

“This historic event is an important part of the KAGC Series. Our continued support for elite amateurs through this series demonstrates our commitment to the full cycle of golf development in Kenya,” Gachora said. 

Experienced referees Bernard Mwaura and Peter Macharia, appointed by the Kenya Golf Union, will officiate the tournament.

Meanwhile, the NCBA Golf Series will also make a stop at the Eldoret Golf Club on Saturday, where over 100 golfers are expected to take part in the Monthly Mug.

The event presents another opportunity for players to qualify for the Grand Finale set for November.  Over 260 golfers competed in the 16th leg of the NCBA Golf Series at Sigona last weekend.  Among the standout performers were home duo Sandeep Matharu and Zipporah Gichigi, who clinched top honours in the gross categories with scores of 72 and 86, respectively.