Crown Paints Junior Golf Foundation held at the serene Muthaiga Golf Club on August 5th and 6th was a showcase of massive talent among the youth.
From the way, the young boys and girls, aged between 12 and 19 years old, swung and hit the balls, there was no doubt that Kenya has the potential to produce world ranking golfers in the coming years.
The keenness with which they kept their eye on the ball easily betrayed their dreams to excel in the game and match big names who have earned fame from the game.
David Nduva, who emerged the champion, could not have put it better when he expressed his admiration for Tiger Woods. Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all the time.
“My desire is to play like Tiger Woods and win trophy after trophy. I admire the way he swings and hits the ball and I want to work hard so that one day I play like him,” said Nduva after being declared the overall winner at the par 72 Muthaiga Golf Course.
Playing off handicap 4, the Nyali-based golfer posted a Gross score of 303 after successful rounds of 73(1 over), 84(12 over), 72(level [par) and 2 over on the final round.
“I found the greens very fast but the weather favoured my fairway play compared to Nyali where strong ocean winds are a bother. I always opted for a 4 iron on downhill fairways which enabled my tee-shots to be on the fairways,” he said.
Nduva’s last round of 2 over comprised of 3 birdies on par5, par 4 and par 5; 4th, 15th and 18th holes, respectively.
He shot pars on 1st, 7th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 16th and 17th holes dropping shots on the rest of the holes.
Playing off handicap 26, Nikhil Rawal of Muthaiga Golf Club posted the overall Nett winner after posting a Net score of 254 in successful rounds on 65, 65, 63 and 61 in the final round.
Crown Paints chief executive officer, Rakesh Rao, who graced the awards ceremony brought the dreams of the young players closer to realization when he announced the company will continue supporting the development of golf among the youth.
“Crown Paints will put every effort to ensure that Kenya produces more golfers at the international level and not winners in Kenya alone. This is why we are keen on promoting the development of the game among the youth,” he said. Rao who chatted freely with the players called for a structured approach to developing golf in Kenya and Africa.
The Kenya Youth Golf Foundation, which organized the event, praised Crown Paints for promoting golf events in the country and called on more companies to emulate it.
The Foundation’s trustee, Charles Farar, who won six junior events during his time as a junior golfer between 1950s and 60s, said Kenya is capable of producing juniors who are strong enough to be given a chance to play in the Kenya Open next year.
“Crown Paints has demonstrated its commitment to the welfare of the young golfers by giving them the best sponsorship,” he said during an interview with Brush Strokes at the venue.