Homeboy William Odeck stunned Michael Karanga to clinch the title at the 47th NCBA Kenya Amateur Stroke Play Championship held at Par 71 Nyali Golf and Country Club.
After four intense rounds, both players were tied with a total score of 293, leading to a thrilling three-hole playoff on holes 13, 14, and 18.
In the playoff, Karanga bogeyed hole 13, made par on hole 14, and bogeyed hole 18, finishing with a score of +2.
Odeck, on the other hand, parred hole 13, bogeyed hole 14, and parred hole 18.
This performance allowed Odeck to edge out Karanga by one stroke, securing his victory in the championship.
This in Odeck’s first ever victory in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series. He got automatic entry into next year’s Magical Kenya Open.
“I had never won any KAGC events before since I started playing in the series about six years ago,” said Odeck, a 34-year-old golfer.
He said he did not expect to win at Nyali because he started off with seven over par on Thursday.
“I didn’t expect this victory. On the first days, I played seven over par, and on the following day I had a +2. I just wanted to finish this event below +10,” said Odeck.
Karanga of Kiambu Golf Club, known for his precise play and consistent performance, has won three trophies in this year’s Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series.
On July 28, Karanga won the 104th NCBA Coast Open ‘Barry Cup’ at the Mombasa Golf Club. He has also won the NCBA Coronation Cup at Nakuru on June 2, and the NCBA Limuru Open on July 7.
The 47th NCBA Kenya Amateur Stroke Play Championship attracted 96 players from Ethiopia, India, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and the host nation, Kenya.
The four-day tournament teed off on Thursday to Sunday.
The championship, dubbed “Kenyatta Memorial Bowl” was held in memory of Kenya’s first President, the Late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
The trophy was first presented in 1978 by Kenya Golf Union’s first African Chairman Chris Kahara, and the 1977/78 Kenya Golf Union (KGU) chairperson Col. M.J. Harbage