Kenyan pros find the going tough in Cote D’Ivoire Open
What you need to know:
- Chinhoi, a member of Safari Tour and current Uganda Open champion, also posted one over 73 in the final round with Nigerian Andrew Oche Odoh just a shot behind on 10 under par 278.
- A total of 67 players had entered the tournament where only the top 30 players after the second round managed to make the cut.
Kenya’s John Wangai and Edwin Mudanyi tied in 20th place during the weekend’s 21st edition of the Cote D’Ivoire Open at the par 72 President Golf Club course in Yammousoukro.
Sigona based Wangai, who is also the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) captain, and who was one of the few players to make the cut despite starting with a poor score (78), shot a back-to-back one under par 71 in the closing round of the tournament to tie for the 20th with an all rounds total of one over par 289.
Vet Lab Sports Club’s Mudanyi carded two under par 70 and after levelling the course twice in the second and third round to eventually end up with one over 289.
The two shared 906 Euros which is about 453 Euros (about Sh58,890).
It was not a good outing for Great Rift Valley Golf Resort’s Justus Madoya as his rounds of 74, 74, 75 and 73 saw him tie in 26th with Ghana’s Kwame Govinous on a four rounds total of eight over par 296.
“It was a good exposure for us playing with some of the most experienced professionals in West Africa. I loved the level of competitiveness amongst the West Afican professionals and the visiting ones. We played on a one set up golf course and it shows how deep the scores went,” said Mudanyi.
The three Kenyans plus Uganda’s Abbey Bagalana, who finished in 16th place with a score of two under par 286, were invited to play in the event by Cote D’Ivoire Golf Federation president Kouakou Laussin Emmanuel Koffi.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s veteran pro Emos Korblah beat Zambia’s Sydney Wemba in a play-off to claim the top prize of 8.689 Euros (about Sh1,129,570).
Korblah shot five under 67 during the final round for a total of 17 under par 271, while Wemba posted six under par 66 to also wind up on 17 under, hence force the play off. The Zambia won himself Sh658,840 for his second place finishing.
Another pro from Ghana, Vincent Torgah shot 15 under par 273 after a one over par 73 in the closing round, with Zimbabwean Robson Chinhoi coming a distant fourth on 11 under par 277.
Chinhoi, a member of Safari Tour and current Uganda Open champion, also posted one over 73 in the final round with Nigerian Andrew Oche Odoh just a shot behind on 10 under par 278.
A total of 67 players had entered the tournament where only the top 30 players after the second round managed to make the cut
