Victor Kwambai clinched top honours during the opening leg of the Kenya Seed Golf Series at the nine-hole Eldoret Golf Club course on Saturday, a warm-up ahead of the Kenya Seed Classic set for two weeks’ time at the 18-hole Kitale Golf Club.
Speaking on Sunday from his home in Eldoret, the former rugby player said playing alongside Kigen Limo and Dennis in a competitive flight pushed him to raise his game.
“I am happy to have won. I did not expect it, but my week-long training, especially on putting, really helped me. The competition was tough and the stakes were high, but this turned out to be my best win,” said Kwambai.
Playing off handicap 22, Kwambai returned an impressive 43 Stableford points to edge out a competitive field of 132 golfers and secure his first win of the season.
John Kibosia finished as first runner-up with 41 points, while Eldoret’s Dennis Rono settled for third place on 40 points.
Nandi’s Kimeli Mutai and Faith Ann claimed the longest drive prizes in the men’s and ladies’ categories, respectively, while Josephine Chesang won the nearest-to-the-pin award. Mutai also emerged as the gross winner after firing a one-over-par 72.
Edwin Ruto claimed the staff prize with 32 points, Thomas Nderitu won the junior title on 29 points, while Edwin Kipchumba bagged the best effort award with 16 points.
Managing Director of Kenya Seed Company, Sammy Chepsiror, said the tournament was organised to appreciate the firm’s stakeholders.
“We appreciate our customers and want to assure farmers that we have sufficient quality and affordable seed varieties for this planting season. We also urge them to purchase seeds from certified stockists to avoid counterfeit products,” said Chepsiror.
The event, which attracted golfers from neighbouring clubs including Nandi Bears, Kitale and Kakamega, acted as a build-up to the Kenya Seed Classic set for two weeks’ time at the 18-hole Kitale Golf Club.
