Mitansh Thacker and Hazel Kuria emerged the overall winners of the first ever NCBA Western Junior Open played at the Kisii Sports Club. The two won the overall boys and girls categories among the 49 junior golfers who braved the chilly weather conditions in Kisii County.
Over the three rounds, Thacker started off well in round one with a score of 75 on a course he has never played. The second round was rough for him as he managed a score of 80 before recovering in the final round to score an impressive 73 for a total of 228 winning points.
“I had one practice round and then it rained the whole night; so I came in the morning and didn’t know what to expect. I started with a bogey but I came back and played a solid four over. Day two nothing was going straight. I learnt from it and shot nine over. I had a good one hour talk with my coach before day three on what I should do with my swing,” said Thacker.
The talk helped as he collected 14 pars, 1 birdie and only three bogeys on the final day.
“My experience in Kisii was great, it was my first time here. It rains so much here, the course is always wet. It is hard to play on a wet course because you don’t hit it (the ball) as far, the greens are also softer and slower. It was a lovely experience, it was really fun and I learnt a lot,” he concluded.
Justin Ngeera started the tournament in second position with a score of 78 after the first round. He shot to the top of the leaderboard with a good score of 76 in the second round. Ngeera could not keep his nerve in the third round, scoring 80 to finish second overall and six strokes behind the winner. His consolation was the winner’s prize in the boys’ 13 years category.
Phelex Cheruiyot from the Nandi Bears Golf Club finished third overall with a score of 238 from 80 in the first round, 82 in the second round and 76 in the third round. He also won the 19-21 years boys category prize.
Hazel Kuria finished sixth overall but won the girl’s top prize. Her scores were consistent, 80 on day one, 83 on day two and 80 on day three.
“The last three days weren’t too bad, the rain held off so we were playing in fairly good weather conditions. The fairways were ok but the greens were running a bit and they were patchy. All in all, it was alright,” quipped Kuria.
“I had a few challenges here and there on a few holes but I just focused on keeping my head down and not letting other things affect my game. I tried to do what I have been training to do.”
Other winners were Myles Fernandes who was runners up in the boys 19-21 years category with a score of 273, Shelby Bungei who won the girls 16-18 years category with a score of 287, and Kushagra Sharma, winner of the boys 16-18 years category with a score of 240.