•After clinching Nyali’s second leg, which was the first event for the pros, Wangai went on to amass a 5 under par 139 gross to complete back-to-back wins in the series
• The series is being used as a yardstick to select the Kenya team for Sunshine Tour’s KCB Karen Masters 2019.
Image: COURTESY
KA Sigona resident professional Charles John Wangai better known as CJ Wangai believes his back-to-back success in the ongoing KCB Road to the Masters Series is a sign of better things to come.
After clinching Nyali’s second leg, which was the first event for the pros, Wangai went on to amass a 5 under par 139 gross to complete back-to-back wins in the series being used as a yardstick to select the Kenya team for Sunshine Tour’s KCB Karen Masters 2019.
In an interview at the Par 72 Thika Sports Club, where pros played in a two-day 36-hole stroke-play tournament, Wangai also noted that he has hit form “which unfortunately never clicked in time at the European Tour Kenya Open 2019.”
Following his good run in the series, Wangai has landed an invitation to play in the Sunshine Tour event in Sun City down south during the first week of June.
“Now I have a very busy schedule ahead. Sun City will be held a few weeks before the Karen extravaganza, so this together with the remaining two rounds locally, will offer me an opportunity to play competitively prior to the big event in Karen,” said Wangai, who is also the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) Captain.
The Sigona man got off to a flying start with a round of 5 under par 67 and level par 72 on the last day to rule the roost in Thika. He beat four pros Alfred Nandwa, Rizwan Charania, Dismas Indiza and Simon Ngige by three strokes while Greg Snow settled for an unfamiliar and disappointing sixth with scores of 70 and 73 for a total of 1 under 143 gross.
And having taken some impressive scalps, Wangai reiterated his best is yet to come. “Playing in the Safari Tour and then almost immediately going into the KCB event had had quite some positive effects to my game.
Hard work and practice has been the key to my success; then of course investing in new equipment with better irons and drivers has also helped immensely. I am traditionally very formidable off my tee box shots but again I really need to work more on perfecting my short game.” Asked about his game on the second day where he plays level par, Wangai, a former golf administrator at Railways went on:
“My front nine was all good, I shot one under but my back nine wasn’t that good because I picked a double bogey on hole number 17. So I finished level par for the day but all in all, It’s quite a good feeling to win. Despite not having a great outing on the second day, my first day of 5 under carrier the day. I must thank the green keepers for keeping the course in emerald green condition considering the current drought situation in the country. It’s always been a great pleasure to be at Thika as its a championship course.”
The top nine players managed under par stores. Top 10 Pro Results 1. CJ Wangai- (-5) 139 T2. Alfred Nandwa- (-2) 142 T2. Riz Charania- (-2) 142 T2. Simon Ngige- (-2) 14 T2. Dismas Indiza- (-2) 142 6. Greg Snow- (-1) 143 T7. David Odhiambo- (level par) 144 T7. Erick Ooko- (level par) 144 T7. Kenneth Bolo- (level par) 144 10. Hesbon Kutwa (+2) 145