Diani Beach Masters - Leisure Lodge Resort
Cairo four in green jacket hunt
Francis Kimani of Limuru follows the flight of his shot during the Muthaiga district foursomes.
Kimani is among the players chasing the Golfer of the Year Series who will be in Diani today. Photo/CHRIS OMOLLO
By LARRY NGALA Posted Thursday, October 8 2009
IN SUMMARY
National team players to join other Kenyan elites at Leisure Lodge Beach & Golf Resort, Diani Beach
National men’s golf team players join the rest of Kenya’s elite golfers for this year’s Diani Beach Masters at the South
Coast Leisure Golf and Beach Resort. Club’s par 72 course this weekend after last week’s Africa Amateur Golf Team
Championship in Cairo. The four players, who did duty for the country in Egypt where they came second in both the
team and individual categories, will be among a field of 69 singlefigure handicap players in the Kenya Data Networkssponsored annual Kenya Golf Union Golfer of the Year event. They include Boniface Simwa from Vet Lab Sports Club,
whose five under par 283 was just a shot adrift from the new Africa amateur champion J. G. Claassen of South Africa.
Others in that team who are also seeking the green jacket and eight points towards the GOTY award are Collins
Omondi, Francis Kimani and Sullivan Muthugia. Omondi, who has been in great form this year although he did not
seem to click in Cairo, still has a chance to prove his prowess at Leisure. Also in Diani for one of the best organised
events in the country will be the other half of the national team left behind during the Africa Championship –
Ali Orende, Abdul Sihag and Anthony Kinuthia. The team to Cairo was based on the top four ranked players in the
GOTY series.
But besides the national team players, the event has also attracted other leading players, including over 30 Tanzanians some
whom are in the main event. Turned professional Last year, the then Tanzania champion Bryson Nyenza beat the locals to
become the second player from his country to claim the green jacket. The first one was Hassan Kadio some years ago.
Nyenza, who had won the Coast Open at Mombasa Golf Club, and Kadio later turned professional and no longer qualify
for the green jacket.