Karen Country Club’s Terra Saidimu and hot charging junior golfer and Kenya Team player Elvis Muigua from Kiambu Golf Club paired up at the Great Rift Valley Golf Resort and played a team score of 43 points to emerge the winners of the international pairs qualifier played on Saturday, 29th July 2023.
They were earlier on knocked out of the ongoing 101st Kenya Amateur Matchplay Championship.
The two beat the pair of Kiplangat Sang & Ken Biegon from Kericho Golf Club on countback. The event attracted a total of 39 pairs from 19 clubs across the country.
The players from Kericho Golf Club had a great show where 4 pairs out of the 7 from the club finished within the top 5 positions. The pairs of David Biegon & Charles Keter, Elvis Koech & Ezekiel Koech and Collins Kipkurui & Reuben Muruguru all played 41 points finishing in the 3rd, 4th and 5th positions respectively on countback. The top 4 pairs and the first mixed pair of Bernard Kiraithe & Kathure Njoroge from Royal Nairobi Golf Club who played 39 points secured slots to the Kenya Grand Finale to be played on 1st September 2023.
The next qualifier event is set on the 5th August 2023 at Nyali Golf & Country Club. This will be followed by 3 more events at Windsor Golf & Country Club (12th August), Nakuru Golf Club (19th August) and VetLab Sports Club (26th August). All golfers who are 18 years and above and have a valid WHS handicap index are eligible. In each qualifier, the top 4 pairs, best ladies’ pair or best mixed pair qualify for the Grand Finale. Since the start of the series in 2019, 7 pairs have participated in the fully paid trip to the World Finals.
The golfers are competing in pairs in the series whose top prize is the fully paid for golfing trip to Portugal for the world finals to be held from the 6th to 10th November at the Royal Obidos Spa & Golf Resort and Bom Sucesso Resort. The top 3 pairs in the Grand Finale qualify for the World Finals. In each qualifier, the top 4 pairs, best ladies’ pair or best mixed pair will qualify for the Grand Finale. The top 3 pairs in the Grand Finale qualify for the fully funded trip to Portugal.
The Kenya Golf Union Chairman Philip Ochola thanked the Great Rift Valley Golf Resort for the hospitality. “The International Pairs is meant to be a fun competition where we get to connect as golfers and appreciate the different abilities that we have. All golfers who are 18 years and above and have a valid WHS handicap index are eligible.
Since the start of the series in 2019, 7 pairs have participated in the fully paid trip to the World Grand Finale. The best position that we have emerged as a country is the runner up in 2022 and we have always performed well,” he said.
