Double Churchill Winston Champion Elvis Muigua was crowned the champion of Diani Beach Masters Championships, the Kenya Amateur Golf Championships (KAGC) series played at the Diamond Leisure Lodge.
Coming from Ndumberi golf club, Muigua fired a total of +6 222 for the title after edging out Nakuru’s John Kamais with a stroke at +7 223, who tied on points with the newly crowned Railway Invitation champion Isaac Makokha from Kenya Railways.
For the opening round, Muigua bogeyed in the first hole followed by three money bogeys in the 10th, the 15th, and the 18th to finish the round on 76 strokes. Despite picking birdies on the 2nd, 7th, 8th, and 9th in the second round, he bogeyed the 10th, 11th. 13th, 14th, 15th, and 17th but still managed to play two strokes less than the opening round. Birdies on the 2nd, 3rd, 9th, and the 13th, bogeys on the 7th and 8th, and a double bogey on the 10th saw him finish the final round on even par.
On his part, Kamais started the tournament shaky as well with bogeys on the 1st, 6th, 11th, 14th and 17th to card 77. Double bogeys on the 1st and on the 10th and bogeys on the 6th and 15th in the second round threatened to dent his tournament further but birdies on the 9th and 10th saw him finish the round on 76. He salvaged it all on Sunday as he played an impressive 2-under-par 70 to lock in the second sport, managing birdies on holes 3, 8, and 9, and the only bogey on the first.
Makokha opened his campaign with a round of 77, followed by an impressive second round of 71, his best score of the weekend. He closed with a 75 in the final round to finish behind Kamais.
The victory saw Muigua extend his points tally on the standings to 1206 while still maintaining the third spot behind John Lejirma and Michael Karanga who have 2050 and 1712 points respectively.
Top ten leaderboard
- Elvis Muigua (Ndumberi) 76, 74, 72= 222
- John Kamais (Nakuru) 77, 76, 70= 223
- Isaac Makokha (Kenya Railways) 77, 71, 75= 223
- Dickson Barasa (Nyali) 79, 74, 77= 230
- Eugene Wafula (Muthaiga) 77, 78, 75= 230
- Daniel Kiragu (Muthaiga) 77, 76, 77= 230
- Ebill Omollo (Vetlab) 76, 78, 78= 232
- Sammy Mulama (Golf Park) 74, 78, 82= 234