The journey for Kenyans to win the Magical Kenya Open and play in the PGA Golf Tours across the world has started in earnest among kids that have been competing in the played at the Windsor golf club.
The 2023 edition of the Kenya Invitational Junior Tournament attracted the largest turnout with over 120 players from 12 counties.
NCBA managing director John Gachora said they have been supporting the junior tournament since 2021 with hopes of representing the country in major championships.
“Judging from the junior activities, golf is growing fast and we have a target that in the next 10 years, these kids will be adults and will represent Kenya hopefully in the PGA Tour, and Olympic Games. We also hope a Kenyan will win the Magical Kenya Open within the period, which should be the case.”
He added that it is very important that the kids stay on the course by supporting them.
“Apart from playing, we also believe in bringing families together. I have seen parents walking with children on the golf course. This is a great vision that we are driving. At the same time, it is a good lesson that our kids can learn from what other kids do on the golf course in their nations,” said Gachora.
On the course, Kenyan Sanjana Sharma and Zimbabwean Tanaka Ashley were the winners in the 15-18-year-old girls and boys respectively.
In girls, Sharma fired 49 over-par followed by Tatiana Genevieve with 55 over-par and Hazel Kuria’s third spot with a total of 56 over-par.
Ashley, an impressive 6 over-par, led his country mate Tawana Mangone to second on 17 over-par as Kenyan Kevin Anyien secured the third spot with a score of 21 over-par.
The tournament organized by U.S. Kids Golf in collaboration with the Junior Golf Foundation Kenya had 12 nations nal]emly Argentina, Austria, Belgium, China, Ghana, India, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe among others.
Boys 13-14 years: Ewan Widor from Austria emerged victorious with a final score of 14 over-par, edging out Kenyan Tsevi Soni in a countback after both players tied in the final tally. Yuyraj Rajput from Kenya secured the third position with a total of 25 over-par (80, 79, 82).
Boys 12 years: Munesu Chimhini from Zimbabwe claimed the top spot with an outstanding total of 9 over-par (75, 73, 77), triumphing over Austrian Sean Widor in a countback. Aidan Gachora from Kenya secured the third position with a total score of 30 over-par (79, 83, 84).
Boys 11 years: Shuhan PENG from Kenya dominated the category with a score of 54 over-par, securing the top spot ahead of Palash Tank (56 over-par) and Ryan Njuguna (58 over-par) who came in second and third, respectively.
Boys 10 years: Adam NESBITT from Kenya claimed the top spot with a total of 12 over-par (83, 75, 70), followed by Bavin BOYAPATI from India in second (29 over-par) and Guanzhe WANG in third (33 over-par).
Boys 9 years: The top junior golfers in this category were Ishaan PATEL (+29), Jeff KIBE (+33), and Niam SHAH (+39) from Kenya.
Boys 8 years: Paren REEL (+6), Zandro OBIERO (+17), and Nathan MWAI (+31) emerged as the top golfers, all hailing from Kenya.
Boys 7 years: The top performers were James Tino MACAKIAGE (+8), Hakeem MUTUNGI (+12), and Zekai CHEN (+30).
Boys 6 years and younger: The top three positions were secured by Surya BONGU (+9), Aryan PATEL (+17), and Adriel WAMBUA (+26).
Girls 15-18 years: Sanjana Sharma from Kenya claimed the top spot with a total of 49 over-par (82, 86, 97). Tatiana GENEVIEVE secured the second position with a score of 55 over-par (90, 87, 94), and Hazel KURIA from Kenya claimed the third spot with a total of 56 over-par (93, 90, 89).
Girls 13–14 years: Miriam MASIYA from Zimbabwe secured the top position with a total of 15 over-par (76, 74, 81). Audrey GACHORA from Kenya secured the second spot with a total of 25 over-par (79, 82, 80), and Rohini SHAH from Kenya came in third with a total of 32 over-par (86, 81, 81).
Girls 11–12 years: Kanana MUTHOMI from Kenya emerged as the champion with a total of 14 over-par (81, 73, 76). Sophia NESBITT from Kenya secured the second position with a score of 35 over-par (85, 81, 85), and NKINI PASHA came in third with a final tally of 53 over-par (85, 93, 91).
Girls 9–10 years: Ashley MUYELA from Kenya claimed the top spot with a total of 17 over-par (41, 42, 42). Zianna KHODA secured the second position with a score of 19 over-par (41, 39, 47), and Ashley GACHORA claimed the third spot with a total of 24 over-par (44, 47, 41).
Girls 8 years and under: The top performers among the 8-year-olds-and-under were Irene ASIYO (+19), Vianna DAVE (+20), and Leticia MWANGALE (+34), all hailing from Kenya.