•Makokha is one of the four amateur golfers taking part in this year’s event alongside captain John Lejirma, Michael Karanga and Josephat Rono.
•Trailblazing Makokha won a bronze medal at the 2022 Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, making him the first Kenyan to do so in the competition.
Deaf amateur golfer Isaac Makokha will be the first Kenyan off-the-tee box in the 2024 DP World Tour Kenya Open, the sixth event of DP World Tour’s International Swing.
Alongside Englishman Sam Hutsby and Spain’s Lucas Vacarisas, the 2023 Deaflympics bronze medalist is slotted in the event’s first group that sets off from the first tee (opposite side of the clubhouse) at 7:10 am.
Makokha is one of the four amateur golfers taking part in this year’s event alongside captain John Lejirma, Michael Karanga and Josephat Rono. The Vet Lab amateur enjoyed top form last season including victory in the prestigious Uhuru Shield at Royal Nairobi.
Speaking about Makokha’s presence in the four-man team, Kenya amateur captain Lejirma tipped the deaf amateur to cut into the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.
Trailblazing Makokha won a bronze medal at the 2022 Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, making him the first Kenyan to do so in the competition.
Lejirma said: “Makokha is playing well at the moment and I believe the hard work he puts in will pay off this year. I admire his skills and discipline. He is a role model to the disabled fraternity and his presence in the team goes a long way in motivating them to embrace the sport.”
The second Kenyan off the tee (at 07:30) will be Sigona’s Mohit Mediratta, who will be in the company of US pro Nicolo Galletti and Dane Søren Broholt Lind.
Mutahi Kibugu will tee it up from the first tee at 13:00 hours alongside South African Dylan Frittelli and Scottish professional Ewen Ferguson. This year’s Magical Kenya Open is the fifth on the DP World Tour in Kenya.
The late Seve Ballesteros won it in 1978 while fellow Major winner Ian Woosnam was the 1986 champion, five years before the event joined the European Challenge Tour in 1991.
Other winners are Woosnam’s fellow European Ryder Cup members Ken Brown, Edoardo Molinari and Christy O’Connor Jnr, along with Trevor Immelman.
Since becoming a DP World Tour event, Guido Migliozzi became the first man to win the title, and he has been followed by Justin Harding (2021), Ashun Wu (2022), and Jorge Campillo last year.
Meanwhile, Freddy Schott and Nick Bachem made the most of the early part of the week by visiting a Giraffe Sanctuary in Nairobi ahead of the Magical Kenya Open.
The German duo headed to the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi, which is a non-profit environmental conservation centre that offers a unique experience of feeding and interacting with the endangered species known as the Rothschild* giraffe.*
“I think what stands out on the DP World Tour is that we come to so many nice places and travel quite a long way many times,” said Bachem.
“And if you just stay in the hotel and on the golf course, you can do the same in Europe or in like pretty much the same place. If you come to Kenya, you obviously like the nature, landscapes, and animals standing out, so it’s amazing to come here.”