Stellar field as 64 enter Safari Tour second leg

Action in the 2021/2022 Safari Tour golf series moves to the par 72 Vet Lab Sports Club course in Kabete, for the second leg of the Kenya Open Golf Limited owned golf series, just three days after the conclusion of the opening leg at Sigona Golf Club.

A total of 64 players drawn from Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia, and Nigeria will be teeing off from 8 am on Sunday, 3 October as the race for Kenya Open qualification heats up.

In addition to points towards the Safari's Order of Merit, a top prize of Ksh230,000 for the winner is up for grabs. 

Those drawn include former Malawi Open champion Traos Muradzikwa from Zimbabwe, Zambia’s Mwalikwa Sondashi and Nyasha Muyambo of Zimbabwe who missed the first leg at Sigona.

Also drawn is Kenya’s top-ranked Greg Snow who begins his hunt for money and the Order of Merit points, having missed the Sigona event due to a shoulder injury. 

During the Sigona tournament, junior amateur Taimur Malik of Muthaiga beat Edwin Mudanyi and home player Mohit Mediratta in a playoff, to clinch the title.

Whilst Malik took the trophy home, Mediratta and Mudanya earned Ksh255,172 each for having tied on the regulation play. 

Malik shot a brilliant amateur course record score of seven-under-par 65 in the final round for a total of four-under-par 284 to force the playoff with the two pros who he beat with pars.

Malik is also drawn again with the pros at Vet Lab and so is Kenya’s top lady golfer Naomi Wafula who will be chasing the amateur title along with Malik and Muthaiga’s Zubair Khan.

Going by his performance at Sigona and being at home, Mudanyi starts as the hot favourite, with his closest challengers being Mediratta, Railway’s Samuel Njoroge who finished at Sigona on three-under-par 285, as well as Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi who dominated the 2019/2020 season. 

"I had a great start at Sigona and now that I am playing home I am excited. I had some great rounds in Sigona and that has built my confidence. From the Pro-Am on Saturday, the course looks good and is scorable. It is all about taking the opportunities when we create them. I am looking forward to playing some food rounds and keep the momentum going,"

"Golf is a game of numbers and every round has its day so I'll just have to trust my game plan and keep it through the rounds," said Mudanyi.

Mudanyi has made the top eight to qualify for the Kenya Open in his last two seasons playing as a pro but he is keen to do one better this season. 

"I am hoping to win one of the Safari legs now. I came close in Sigona. Ultimately, however, is to qualify for next year's Kenya Open in the top five," he added. 

Also to watch will be two other Zimbabweans Visitor Mapanywa and Tafara Mpofu, Malawi’s Paul Chidale and Andrew Odoh of Nigeria who missed the cut at Sigona.

Mudanya will also have tough competition from Erick Ooko of Golf Park, Thika Sports Club’s Simon Ngige and senior pro Dismas Indiza among others. 

It will be interesting to see how the other home players Nelson Simwa and Mathew Omondi plays this week. Simwa who along with Rwanda’s Aloys Nsabimana and Uganda’s Abbey Bagalana are being sponsored by Rwanda’s Falcon Golf and Country Club courtesy of leading Rwandese amateur golfer Innocent Rutamu, did not make the cut in the first leg and so did Nsabimana while Bagalana shot 11 over-par 299 to finish in18th place.