Hosts Muthaiga Golf Club have successfully defended the Patrons Cup after winning the three-day Kenya Golf Union tournament with an impressive 105.5 points.
The foursomes round on Friday saw the home side pick 13.5 points and on Saturday morning, they collected 20. On Saturday afternoon, they bagged 27 points before ending the campaign with 45 in Sunday’s singles for a cumulative tally of 105.5.
“It is encouraging to see the teams and their supporters come through for an exciting tournament. We want to see more of the same in subsequent years,” said Muthaiga captain Bob Ngugi.
The tournament honours the late former President Mwai Kibaki, who was the Patron of Kenya Golf Union and Muthaiga Golf Club for years.
VetLab Golf Club finished second with a cumulative total of 93.5 points. They posted 25.5 points in Friday afternoon’s Foursomes.
On Saturday morning, they managed just five points in the Four Ball Better Ball and picked 18 points in the afternoon’s Foursomes. They then hit 45 points in the Singles on the final day.
Sigona were third on a cumulative score of 29 points.
Nyali won the Patron’s Shield competition with 105 points, earning promotion to the trophy competition.
The coast side will join Muthaiga and VetLab in the top division while Sigona were relegated to the Shield.
In the Singles round on Sunday, Nyali picked a total of 49.5 points to solidify their final standings tally. Kenya Railways were second in the Shield competition with a cumulative total of 63.5 points.
Meanwhile, Limuru earned promotion to the Shield after topping the Plaque division with a total 98.5 points. At the same time, Royal Nairobi were relegated to the Plaque after finishing third in the Shield competition with 63.5 points. They replace Windsor, who dropped to the Bowl.
Limuru captain David Irimu said: “It was enjoyable for all of us and all gratitude goes to Muthaiga Golf Club for hosting us but allowing teams to own the event. We did well as a team to return to the Shield after being relegated to the Plaque last year.”
“We managed to beat Golf Park, Karen Country Club and Windsor Country Club. The organisation was top notch and for me, what worked was the inclusivity around it. We look forward to a bigger and better event in 2024.”
Elsewhere, Kiambu Golf Club earned a deserved promotion berth to the Plaque Division after posting a commendable total tally of 108 points to finish ahead of Mombasa Sports Club and Thika Sports Club on 79 points and 95 points respectively.
A total of 168 players representing 14 teams from across the country took part in the three-day tournament. The Trophy and Shield competitions attracted three teams apiece while the Plaque and Bowl competition saw four teams compete per round.