Ruiru Golf Club will be the latest venue to host the 2021 NCBA Golf Series on Saturday; marking the 22nd, and penultimate, leg in the Series calendar which teed-off in January this year.
A total 200 golfers have been drawn to battle it out at the par-72 course for a chance to secure the remaining five slots available for play at the Series Grand Finale which will be held next month at the Karen Country Club.
The Ruiru draw takes to 2,800 the total number of golfers who will have taken part in the Series since its inception, underpinning the success of the tournament in its debut season.
A total of 100 golfers – comprising of the top five finishers from each of the 20 seniors golf events held in the calendar – have so far qualified to play at the grand finale. The top five finishers at each event comprise the overall winner, men’s winner and runner-up and the ladies’ winner and runner-up.
Of the 100, three will be junior golfers who emerged overall winners at their respective club events at Karen, Limuru and Royal Golf Clubs. The success of the junior golfers dovetails with the Series’ objective of nurturing golf talent at an early stage with the aim of preparing them to take on the world’s best at global golf events.
In doing so, NCBA has encouraged junior golfers to be part of its seniors’ events and has held a stand-alone junior golf series that brought together 85 juniors for a two-day contest at the Karen Country Club in August this year. The top 43 finishers were picked to participate at the Rome Classic golf event in October and at the Big Five tournament in South Africa next year.
The second junior golf tournament will be held at the Muthaiga Golf Club from the 9th to the 10th of December 2021 marking the end of activities in the 2021 NCBA Golf Series Calendar.
Speaking ahead of the Ruiru Golf Club event, NCBA Group Managing Director, John Gachora said:
“We are delighted to be taking our golf series to Ruiru for the penultimate event in our calendar. It marks a proud moment for all of us at NCBA to see the tournament almost at its climax. We are grateful to everyone who has made the Series a success and look forward to the challenge that awaits on the course this Saturday.
“Being the last event on the calendar before the grand finale, I am looking forward to enhanced competition as golfers play to secure the remaining five slots available for the grand finale. I have no doubt that it is going to be a wonderful outing.”
By Fred Odanga Azelwa.