Kenya’s leading lady golfer Naomi Wafula will kickstart her Magical Kenya Ladies Open (MKLO) campaign in Thursday’s Round 1 in the company of leading pros over North Coast’s Baobab course at Vipingo Ridge.
Wafula, who is one of the five amateurs representing Kenya in the Ladies European Tour (LET) season-opener, is drawn in Game 32 alongside two-time Indian Olympian Aditi Ashok and Alice Hewson of England.
Sixteen year-old Kenyan Chanelle Wangari will tee off from the tenth tee at 8:11am on Game 2 alongside Lucie Malchirand of France and Sweden’s Sara Kjellker.
Mercy Nyanchama will tee it up for her third MKLO tournament from the 10th alongside Camilla Lennarth of Sweden and Amalie Leth-Nissen (Denmark). The first game on Thursday will see Helen Tamy Kreuzer of Germany, Agathe Laisne (France) and Clara Manzalini (Italy) start from the first tee at 8am.
To curtain raise the four-round 72-hole stroke-play event is Wednesday’s Pro-Am event where local amateurs will savour the opportunity to brush shoulders with visiting Ladies European Tour (LET) Professionals.
The event will play host to the LET season-opener which sees 96 players from 28 different countries battling in a 72-hole stroke play format from February 2-5.
The tournament also marks the start of the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol — the fourth edition — which will see the LET’s best golfer crowned champion at the end of the year.
Defending champion Esther Henseleit leads the contenders for the title. The German will be aiming for a three-peat in Kenya.
The 2019 Order of Merit recorded one-shot victories in 2019 and 2022.
From last season’s Race to Costa del Sol, three players from the top five will begin their season in Kenya with Johanna Gustavsson (3rd), Manon De Roey (4th) and Ana Peláez Trivino (5th) hoping to pick up where they left.
Joining Henseleit, De Roey and Peláez Trivino as winners from 2022 are Finland’s Tiia Koivisto and Czech Jana Melichova.
Selected Round 1 Draws — Kenyan Players (Thursday)
8:11am: Game 2/1st Tee: Lucie Malchirand (Fra), Chanelle Wangari (Ken), Sara Kjellker (Swe); 13:31pm: Game23/1st Tee: Aditi Ashok (Ind), Alice Hewson (Eng), Naomi Wafula (Ken); 12:58pm: Game28/10th Tee: Camilla Lennarth (Swe), Amalie Leth-Nissen (Den), Mercy Nyanchama (Ken): 13:31pm: Game31/10th Tee: Dolnapa Zukphokinvanich (Tha), Amy Taylor (Eng), Jacquelyne Walter (Ken-Amatuer), 13:42pm: Game32/10th Tee: April Angurasaranee (Tha), Nancy Wairimu (Ken), Gurleen Kaur (USA).
