Peter Gathogo shook off the rusty start in the first nine to finish with an impressive score of one over par 73 in the Karen Leg of the USKids Golf Junior Golf Foundation spring tour.
Gathogo who was a late entrant in the tournament in the boys 13 category shot 39 in the first nine but recovered superbly in the second nine with a score of 34 for an overall one over par 73 score. His scores included 4 birdies, four bogeys and one double bogey.
Gathogo says this was a special tournament for him as he skipped a wedding to play at Karen.
“The first nine I started strongly, par, bogey, par, then the 4th hole I messed up by 4 putting. But then my caddie helped me by telling me not to give up, and I shot two under on the back nine,” said an elated Gathogo.
In second place was Amar Shah with a score of three over par 75. Amar had a bad start with bogeys in the first two holes but recovered to finish with 4 birdies and six bogeys.
“I played three over in the first two holes because I had two three putts. The rest of the round I played level par,” explained Amar who was impressed by the conditions of the course.
The other interesting category in Karen was the girls 15-18 years old with only two competitors. Yolanda Yu, playing in this category for the first time this season, had mixed results in the first nine and second nine to finish with a score of six over par 78, a great improvement from the first two tournaments where she played 92 at Vetlab and 100 in Limuru.
“In the second nine I had at least two birdies that brought me back to one over. I have lost my swing for the last two tournaments,” lamented Yu.
The other player in the category, Angela Njiraini shot over 100, but is happy with her improvement from the last two tournaments.
“My drives and second shots were good on the 1st nine, but I struggled with putting. In the second nine I improved on putting and my approach shots. I was more focused and determined and I played better,” she said.
Adam Nesbitt continues to dominate in the boys 12, winning with a score of 76. Shuhan Peng was second with a score of 79, while Palash Tank ended up third with a score of 84.
The Junior Golf Foundation has already held three tournaments which seek to discover and nurture golf talents in the country.
