NAIROBI, Kenya, October 7- THIKA players will form the bulk of the entries for the eighth leg of the ongoing NIC Bank Golf series on Friday.
The event to be staged at the Thika Sports Club has attracted 180 golfers with guest players from the NIC Bank and golfers from Nairobi also expected to play on the par-72, 18-hole layout.
Thika Captain Dr. Edward Ndungu said the first tee off time is set at 7am while the latest tee off time will be at 2pm.
“The course is currently relatively easy to play due to the rather dry conditions,” Ndungu said. “However, the main focus this weekend is to give golfers a fair challenge.”
The NIC Golf Days started in Eldoret in June and have since been staged at Vet Lab, Limuru, Nanyuki, Nyanza, Nakuru, and Kiambu.
The ninth and final event on the NIC Golf Calendar will be staged at the Nyali Golf and Country Club on the 29th of October 2011.
Elsewhere, a strong field of 130 golfers have confirmed participation in the second round of the Tusker Malt Golf Carnival this weekend at Machakos Country Club.
The event, the second on the re-vamped Tusker Malt Golf Carnival Championships, will include golfers from the host club and members of the Kenya Air-force Golf Club, Kenya Railway and Golf Park.
Club captain Steve Makau has assured participants of an exciting game as they explore the Four Ball Better Ball format on the 9-hole course in Machakos.
“The greens are well watered and the course is in perfect condition. The only challenge is that we have increased the number of bunkers which are likely to come as a surprise to most golfers,” said Makau.
Action tees off at 7am with the last team hitting the course at slightly after 11am to finish at 3pm.
“We will begin early due to the huge field of golfers and this way we can avoid interferences,” he said.
Top contenders for this leg include Machakos club chairman and handicap 17 golfer Jackson Ndunda, handicap 4 golfer Jackson Nzioki, Makau and Eugene Kisuya.
The Tusker Malt Golf Carnival has now been expanded into a regional event, with tournaments planned in Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
