KGU names team for Africa Region Four Golf Championship
Dennis Maara follows the progress of his tee from 14th hole tee box during Kenya Amateur Matchplay Championship at Royal Nairobi Golf Club on June 19, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The format of play on Day One will be on stroke play format, while Day Two and Three will see participating nations play Foursomes and Singles.
- “I have full confidence with the team which has been training under the leadership of team coach John Van Liefland and we are ready give a good account of ourselves in Uganda. This is probably the strongest team that we have had in a long time," added Ocholla.
The Kenya Golf Union (KGU) Sunday announced the team which will participate in the 2022 Africa Region Four Golf Championship at the Lake Victoria Serena Golf and Spa in Kigo, Uganda from July 13 to 16.
Kenya Amateur Match Play Golf champion Dennis Maara of Limuru Country Club will captain the team of four players which leaves on Tuesday for Uganda.
Other players will be Adel Balala from Nyali Golf and Country Club, who is also the current Amateur Stroke Play champion, John Lejirmah from Railway Golf Club and Michael Karanga from Kiambu Golf Club.
The players for Africa Region Four Championship, formerly the East Africa Challenge Cup, are part of the national squad of 15 players which was named last month to prepare for a number of international events including the All Africa Championship in Egypt, and the rotational Victoria Cup between Kenya and Uganda to be hosted at Limuru Country Club towards the end of this month.
It has been training under former Kenya national senior and junior coach John van Liefland.
“The team was selected based on their current performance on the current playing form and Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series," said Philip Ocholla, the vice chairman of KGU and Tournament Director, who will lead the team to Uganda.
Of the four players, Maara has been posting good results since his first win in the Coronation trophy at Nakuru.
He has won other events such as Ronald Marshal Trophy and the recent Kenya Amateur Match play trophy, which found him locking his slot to participate in the 2023 Magical Kenya Open.
Lejirma is ranked third on the KAGC ranking, while Michael Karanga and Adel Balala are ranked 213 and 215 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Kenya will join Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia as they battle for the coveted Region IV trophy.
The format of play on Day One will be on stroke play format, while Day Two and Three will see participating nations play Foursomes and Singles.
“I have full confidence with the team which has been training under the leadership of team coach John Van Liefland and we are ready give a good account of ourselves in Uganda. This is probably the strongest team that we have had in a long time," added Ocholla.
