-The tournament featured 39 junior golfers from 10 Clubs, played over three rounds of 18 holes and following the first two rounds, the top 33 and ties advanced to the final round of the event which is a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) event that also contributes to the JGF Order of Merit.
-This is part of NCBA’s Title Sponsorship of the Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) and is one of five regional junior events providing competitive opportunities for young golfers across the Country.
-The successful staging of the 3rd NCBA Western Junior Open further demonstrated the value of regional competitions in providing junior golfers with regular competitive exposure while strengthening the pathway for the development of Kenya’s next generation of golfers.
MAARUFU MOHAMED-GOLFNEWSLINKS.
Justin Ngeera and Maryam Mwakitawa maintained their leads through the final round to emerge as the Overall Boy and Overall Girl winners, respectively at the 3rd NCBA Western Junior Open that concluded at Kakamega Sports Club in Western Kenya on Sunday.
Ngeera of VetLab Sports Club completed a dominant performance in the Boys’ competition with rounds of 78 gross, 71 gross and 76 gross for a three-round total of 225 gross (+9).
Having taken the lead after the opening round and strengthened his position with a 1-under-par 71 gross in round 2, the 15-year-old held his nerve in the final round to claim the overall Boys title and his victory earned him 105 JGF Order of Merit points.
Ngeera finished ahead of fellow Vet Lab player Myles Wahome, who carded 79 gross, 75 gross and 85 gross for 239 gross (+23), while Peter Gathogo of Nakuru Golf Club finished third on 243 gross (+27) after rounds of 77 gross, 80 gross and 86 gross.
In the Girls’ competition, Maryam Mwakitawa of Sigona Golf Club also held on to the lead to secure the overall Girls title after posting rounds of 87 gross, 72 gross and 89 gross for a total of 248 gross (+32).
Her round 2 even-par 72 gross had moved her into the lead after a remarkable 15-shot improvement from her opening round and earned 100 JGF Order of Merit points for her victory.
Mwakitawa finished 11 shots clear of Britney Nyanchera of Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club, who finished runner-up on 259 gross (+43) after carding rounds of 92 gross, 82 gross, and 84 gross, while Aarna Mengi of VetLab Sports Club was third on 267 gross (+51), consisting of 87 gross,90 gross and 90 gross.
The tournament featured 39 junior golfers from 10 Clubs and was played over three rounds of 18 holes. Following the first two rounds, the top 33 and ties advanced to the final round.
The event is a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) event and contributes to the JGF Order of Merit.
The 3rd NCBA Western Junior Open is part of NCBA’s Title Sponsorship of the Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) and is one of five regional junior events providing competitive opportunities for young golfers across the Country.
JGF Western Region Representative Elizabeth Wambi thanked the clubs that supported their juniors in participating in the tournament and encouraged them to continue participating in JGF competitions.
“We appreciate all the clubs that supported the participation of their juniors in this tournament. We encourage them to continue supporting their players’ participation in JGF tournaments, which provide important opportunities for competition and development. We also appreciate the leadership, members and staff of Kakamega Sports Club for the great hospitality and for successfully hosting this tournament,” said Wambi.
NCBA’s Kakamega Relationship Manager Allan Amira reaffirmed NCBA’s commitment to supporting golf and, in particular, the development of junior golfers through competitive opportunities and structured programs.
“NCBA remains committed to supporting the growth and development of golf in Kenya, with junior golf being an important part of that commitment. Through our partnership with the Junior Golf Foundation, we are proud to provide young golfers with opportunities to compete, develop their skills and gain valuable experience as they progress in the sport. We congratulate all the juniors who participated and encourage them to continue pursuing excellence both on and off the golf course,” said Amira.
The Kakamega Sports Club Captain, Ronaldo Omondi, also reaffirmed the club’s commitment to supporting junior golf while highlighting the need for greater investment in training equipment.
“Kakamega Sports Club remains committed to supporting junior golfers and providing an environment where young talent can grow. However, one of the challenges we continue to face is the lack of sufficient training equipment. We therefore appeal to the Kenya Golf Union, the Junior Golf Foundation and well-wishers to continue supporting us with the resources needed to nurture and develop these young golfers,” said Omondi.
The awards ceremony also provided an opportunity to look ahead to the next regional competition, with JGF North Rift Region Representative Fandi Shiyukah and Kitale Club Captain Harun Ndegwa welcoming the juniors to the North Rift Junior Open, scheduled for November 13th, to 15th, at Kitale Club.
The successful staging of the 3rd NCBA Western Junior Open further demonstrated the value of regional competitions in providing junior golfers with regular competitive exposure while strengthening the pathway for the development of Kenya’s next generation of golfers.
The tournament also crowned winners across the various age categories.
Boys 19-21 Years-Jefferson Yego (Nandi Bears Club)-263 gross (+47).
Girls 16–21 years-Joyliz Wairimu (Kitale Club)-315 gross (+99).
Boys 16-18 Years-Myles Wahome (Vet Lab Sports Club)-239 gross (+23).
Boys 14-15 Years-Peter Gathogo (Nakuru Golf Club)-243 gross (+27).
Girls 14-15 Years-Elsie Derek (Kakamega Sports Club)-301 gross (+85).
Boys 13 & Under-Ishaan Patel (Sigona Golf Club)-248 gross (+32).
Girls 13 & Under-Britney Nyanchera (Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club)-259 gross (+43).
NCBA Group is a full-service banking group providing a broad range of financial products and services to corporate, institutional, SME, and consumer banking customers.
NCBA Group operates a network of more than 100 branches in five countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Ivory Coast.
Serving over 60 million customers, the NCBA Group is the largest banking group in Africa by customer numbers. NCBA Bank Kenya PLC is Kenya’s third-largest bank by assets.
The Bank is set to play a key role in supporting Africa’s economic ambitions. The Bank is a market leader in Corporate Banking, Asset Finance, and Digital Banking.
Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) is a project of the Kenya Golf Union KGU) and the Kenya Ladies Golf Union (KLGU) responsible for growth and development of the game of golf among Junior Golfers of 21 years and below.
ENDS.
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