NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 9 – The second edition of the NCBA Golf Series Junior Tournament will be held from today (Thursday) to Friday December 10 at Muthaiga Golf Club.
107 junior golfers aged between 6-17 years will take part in the two-day tournament that is being jointly organized by NCBA Group, and the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation.
The NCBA Golf Series Junior Tournament offers young golfers the opportunity to compete in a multi-day championship event and qualify for U.S Kids Golf Priority Status.
By earning different levels of Priority Status, players can qualify for other U.S. Kids Golf Major Championships including Regional, International, and World or World Teen Championships.
The upcoming event follows the first NCBA junior tournament held in August where the winning golfers got a chance to play at the Rome Classic, which took place in October, with others set to play in the Big 5 tournament in South Africa next year.
The junior event comes on the heel of the NCBA Golf Series’ Grand Finale held last week at the Karen Country Club, where Kericho-based Tobias Messo was crowned the tournament’s overall winner beating out over 3000 players who participated in the Series.
At the Grand finale, junior Winston Kimani from Thika Sports Club had an impressive showing landing in the men’s winner position and twelve-year-old Nathan Mwangi from Karen Country Club claimed the men’s runner up spot.
Earlier this year, NCBA signed a multi-year partnership with Junior Golf Foundation “JGF” and other corporate partners to support the development of young golf talent in the country to help them reach previously unimaginable heights in the game.
Speaking ahead of the junior tournament, NCBA Group Managing Director, John Gachora said that the junior tournament’s inclusion in the Series was a deliberate move to give juniors a chance to express their talents.
“We are delighted to be hosting the second NCBA Junior Tournament under the umbrella of the NCBA Golf Series for this year in conjunction with our partner, U.S. Kids Golf Foundation. This Series affirms our commitment towards the development of the sport in the country.”
“By giving these junior golfers a chance to play and compete at an early age we aim to help them become better professionals and to evolve into the future stars of the sport, not just locally but globally,” he said.
He added that going forward, the junior tournament will become a permanent fixture in the NCBA Golf Series as NCBA aims to attract more juniors into the sport. “Golf has for long, and especially in Kenya, been a sport that is not associated with the young. This is a perception we want to change by encouraging more young people to hone their skills and compete at the highest level. These are the future elite golfers in the world and we could not be more proud to inspire them to Go For It!” added Gachora.
