The Junior Golf Foundation-Kenya (JFG) has picked a team of 22 junior golfers that will go to camp next week to start training for upcoming international competitions.
12 boys and 10 girls have been identified for the provisional national squad based on their performance throughout the year.
JGF trustee Vincent Mukiri insisted that the order of merit was crucial in identifying the top players.
“From the provisional squad, we will have a team that can represent Kenya in the various junior competitions, and some of these juniors can compete at select seniors’ competitions. We already know who we can consider instead of just trying to get ready when the competition is about to begin,” he explained.
In the last tournament of the NCBA US Kids Local Tour at the Muthaiga Golf Club, where 186 kids participated, four junior players played level par or under, showing how much the game has improved among the juniors.
The toast of the tournament was Kanana Muthomi, who won the girls 11–12 year old category with a score of three under par 69. Kanana had a rough first nine with only one birdie and three bogeys. But in the second nine, she was flawless, picking up three birdies and an eagle for a remarkable five under par in those nine holes.
“My putts weren’t sinking in the first nine, and I made a lot of mistakes. But in the second nine, my course management and putting improved, and I played some good golf,” she said.
Aryan Patel won the boys six and under category with a score of -1. Three other players—Maahir Patel in the boys 13–14 year old category, Ivan Ng’eno in the boys 8 year old category, and Ashley Gachora in the girls 9–10 year old category—all played level par.
“It was a game of crying and happiness. I had a bad double bogey at hole number 15, and I got very angry. I think my mind was not in the game on that hole. But everything just turned around in the last hole, where I got an eagle,” said a beaming Ashley.
Following the success of the US Kids tournament, NCBA now plans to spread the game to the kids who ordinarily would not have access to the sport or have no opportunity to pick up the sport.
“When we started this journey, it was about the belief that we must give back to the community which we are in, and one of our ways of giving is to develop these junior golfers for the future development of golf for Kenyans. We have seen about 3000 kids playing across the country and now calling themselves golfers,” recounted NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora.
The NCBA, in partnership with JGF, will conduct golf clinics to attract more kids to play golf. ICEA Lion, who also joined in as a partner for the Junior Golf Foundation, is so impressed with the work put in to develop the junior golfers.
“The juniors are playing very mature golf. Last year, we incorporated the amateur golfers with the junior golfers at our grand finale in Nyali, and one of the winners was a junior golfer. This is where the future is, and with two juniors getting scholarships, this takes our brand to a global level,” remarked Diana Nyakio of ICEA Lion Business Development.
By Michael Omondi
