How German football coach inspired Kenyan golfer to qualify for Magical Kenya Open

Little-known William Odeck stunned Michael Karanga to clinch the title at the 47th NCBA Kenya Amateur Stroke Play Championship held at Par 71 Nyali Golf and Country Club in August.

This was the 34-year-old’s first victory in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series and with the feat, he handed himself a ticket to the prestigious event set for 20 to 23 February at Muthaiga Golf Club.

The caddie golfer who started playing the sport 15 years ago in Kisumu before moving to Nyali credits the support he, and three other caddies Hassan Kalamu Choyo, John Timbe, and Dickson Barasa have received from an International Sports Agency for the improved performance to qualify.

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The quartet, in 2022, landed a deal from German-based Sports coaching Agency Lotus Global, in partnership with a non-profit organisation Universal Lighthouse, and has seen their golf improve tremendously.

Before his feat in Nyali, Odeck’s best performance in the KAGC was a second-place finish at the Nyanza Open two years ago.

Since their deal in 2022, Odeck has benefitted from the guidance of high-sports performance and renowned mental coach with more than 40 years of experience Bernard Payet, and UEFA-A-licensed football coach Thomas Mooser, a qualified Diploma sports scientist, who picked the caddies while on a tour of Mombasa.

Odeck held his own against Karanga in the Stroke Play Championship. After four intense rounds, both players were tied with a total score of 293, leading to a thrilling three-hole playoff on holes 13, 14, and 18.

In the playoff, Karanga bogeyed hole 13, made par on hole 14, and bogeyed hole 18, finishing with a score of +2. Odeck, on the other hand, parred hole 13, bogeyed hole 14, and parred hole 18. This performance allowed Odeck to edge out Karanga by one stroke, securing his victory in the championship.

“I had never won any KAGC events before since I started playing in the series about six years ago and winning one that gives me a ticket to the Open is a blessing,” Odeck said after the feat.

With six slots up for grabs for amateur golfers, Odeck is through to the 2025 DP World Tour event, joining KAGC back-to-back champion Karanga and Ugandan Michael Alunga who secured his qualification by triumphing in the 102nd Kenya Amateur Matchplay Championship at Windsor Golf and Country Club in July.

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