Overnight leader Maryam Mwakitawa maintained her position at the top of the leaderboard in the girls 15-18 years category during the NCBA Invitational tournament at the Windsor Golf and Country Club.
After playing five over par 79 in round one to top the charts, Mwakitawa played five shots better, an impressive two over par 74, the best score of the day. She was tied at the top with Audrey Gachora, who also shot two over par, 74.
In the overall scores, Mwakitawa took the lead with a score of nine over par 153, while Audrey Gachora, who played eight over par 80 in the first round, secured the second position with a score of ten over par 154, only one stroke behind Mwakitawa.
“The course was definitely difficult; the greens are running, the lines are quite tight, and I think the only difference in my game today and yesterday is I was more cautious with how I was today, and I was more present when I was putting. I didn’t let my mind wander off or anything,” explained Mwakitawa.
Audrey Gachora was impressive and hungry for victory, matching Mwakitawa to end the day with the same scores. She wants to go for the kill in the final round on Monday.
“Yesterday was really fun; I enjoyed it even though here and there I didn’t really do well; I had a couple of doubles (bogeys), and I was putting well, but in the end I didn’t mind my scores; it wasn’t good; it wasn’t bad. Today I fought really hard; it came out really good in my opinion, and it was a good two days,” elaborated Gachora.
Shashwat Harish remains the man to beat in the boys 13-14 years category as he once again shot two under par 70 for the second round. This is an identical score to the first round, as he now leads with a score of four under par 140 going into the final round.
“The scores might be the same, but if you saw me on the course, it wasn’t the same. I would say yesterday was a two under that would have ended up as a five under or four under because I struck the ball really well. But today on a few shots the swing was missing, and that’s how the game is. Each day is different,” said Harish.
The National Commercial Bank of Africa Invitational has attracted more than 116 golfers from 10 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe. The three-day tournament will conclude on Monday.
The event is crucial as it will count for the order of merit points for non-handicapped and handicapped boys and girls between 15 -18 years old in the Kenyan Junior Golf Foundation system for the year 2024. It is also an event where they will earn World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
