-Over 102 top leading Amateurs flex their muscles for supremacy and top prizes with cash money in the three days tourney that ends on Sunday;
MAARUFU MOHAMED-GOLFNEWSLINKS;
An estimated 102 top leading Golf Amateurs extend their muscles for supremacy at the Inaugural Ruiru Open 2023 Championship taking place at the par73 Ruiru Sports Club in Kiambu County this weekend from Friday to Sunday.
The Captain Jesse Ndegwa and the entire Ruiru Sports Club fraternity are excited to be included for the first time in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series.
“This event will not only present a good challenge for the elite amateur but it is a good platform to publicize the club as a prestigious golf destination,”joyfully said by Ndegwa.
The field is comprised of the recently crowned winners of the Africa Region IV championship Dennis Maara, John Lejirma and Elvis Muigua who won last weekend at Addis Ababa Golf Club, Ethiopia.
Kenya One Mike Karanga will however be missing in action as he will be travelling to the UK to take part in the British Amateur Open Championship from 18th to 24th June 2023.
Among other notable golfers include Veteran Bernard Omondi and Lady junior golfer Channele Wangari.
The players will be battling out for the initial title of the championship and also the Ksh. 400,000 purse sponsored jointly by NCBA Bank, Ruby Granite and J-Wines.
The tournament also qualifies for World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) Ranking and Club of The Year Trophy (COTY).
Ruiru sports club is located 32 km from Nairobi CBD along the Thika Super Highway and the club is strategically located between the two bustling industrial towns of Ruiru and Juja just next to Ruiru Kenha Weighbridge.
The club that boasts of a well paved parking with a 300 plus capacity also has an availability of a modern professional carwash.
The Club started as a tennis club in 1922 and was moved to the present site in 1923 where land was available for a golf course.
It was laid out by Mr. Overtone who was a Colonial Police Inspector at Ruiru and the course was reconstructed on an improved layout by club members in 1930 using large gangs of African Laborers and reconstructed the tees and browns.
The first golf Captain was Mr. G.J. Glassford in 1930 and Mr. John Ross was then the golf captain for twenty consecutive years between 1931 to 1950.
The club had 30 golfing members with reciprocal arrangements with Thika, Makuyu, Nyeri, Nanyuki and Eldoret.
But two strange events were recorded in the Fifties, when Mr. Arne Kopperud killed a rabbit with a tee shot and the shooting of a leopard just off the 5th fairway.
Currently the reciprocating Clubs are Aero Club, Nandi Bears, Moshi Golf Club, Kiambu Golf Club, Nanyuki Golf Club, Njoro Country Club, Naivasha Sports Club, Bujumbura Golf Club, Nyahururu Sports Club, Arusha Gymkhana Country Club, Nyeri Golf Club, Kitale Golf Club, Thika Sports Club and Nakuru Golf Club.
Others are Kericho Golf Club, Gilgil Country Club, Mombasa Golf Club, Machakos Sports Club, Malindi Golf and Country Club, Kakamega Golf Club, Uganda Golf Club, Thika barracks, Kenya air force and Eldoret Club.
ENDS;
