Defending champion Adel Balala will be chasing a record fourth title at the NCBA Kabete Open set to tee off this weekend at Vet Lab Sports Club.
The tournament is the opening leg of the 2024 Kenya Swing Series, one of the most anticipated events on the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) calendar.
Balala, the three-time winner of the event (2021, 2022, and 2024), will face off against Kenya Amateur Golf Series (KAGC) Championship leader John Lejirma, Michael Karanga, and home player Ebill Omolo, who are also well-placed players.
The event has drawn 90 top players from around the world, who will be vying for critical World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) points.
The participants include 80 from Kenya, two each from Rwanda,
Mauritius, and Austria and one each from Zambia, South Africa and Burundi.
Other notable names include Teenage sensation Kanana
Muthomi, Bianca Ngecu, Joyce Wanjiru, Mercy Nyanchama, and Kellie Gachaga in
the ladies category.
Niyonkuru Alain (Rwanda), Pranay Kapur (South Africa), and
Gilbert Chalwe (Rwanda) lead the contingent of players coming in from other
countries.
The NCBA Kabete Open is the first of the three-part Kenya
Swing series that will usher in the Kenya Amateur Matchplay Championship next
week at the Sigona and the final part of the series, the Kenya Amateur
Strokeplay Championship, at the end of the month, at Vet Lab Sports Club.
The Kenya Swing's back-to-back format has been strategically developed to attract international talent, offering continuous competitive play and showcasing Kenya's golfing excellence on a continental stage.
Local
players, sharing fairways with top regional golfers, gain valuable exposure and
experience.
All players will play two rounds, after which the top 33 and
ties advance to the final round. The tournament features a Sh500,000 prize
purse, with the winner taking home Sh115,000.
“We are deeply grateful to the players for their commitment
and continued support of the NCBA KAGC Series. Their dedication truly elevates
the standards of amateur golf in the region. We also extend our sincere thanks
to Vet Lab Sports Club for graciously availing the course for both the NCBA
Kabete Open and the Strokeplay Championship,” tournament director Brian
Akun said.
“This platform allows our players to shine and showcase
their talent. And of course, we thank NCBA Bank for their unwavering
sponsorship throughout the series—their partnership is a cornerstone of our
success,” Akun added.
Elsewhere, more than 100 golfers are expected to converge at Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club course this Saturday as the NCBA
Golf Series continues with the club’s Monthly Mug, where more golfers stand to
book their spots for the NCBA Grand Series set for November this year.
Last weekend, four golfers, Dennis Rono, the overall winner, Shadrack
Ngetich, Jedidah Keitany and Jonathan Barorot booked their slots for the NCBA
Golf Series Grand Finale following their triumphs during the Eldoret Golf Club
qualifying event held at the club.
Ngetich (handicap 6) and Keitany (handicap 21) emerged the men and lady winners in that order after banking 66 and 75 points respectively, as Barorot carded an impressive 70 playing off handicap 17 to emerge the Junior winner.
