Naomi Angela Wafula, or simply ‘Naomi’, is breaking barriers on Kenya’s fairways. She is the first female golfer in Kenya to be selected to join the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK). She is also the only professional lady golfer in the country.
Her focus has now shifted to the international tours, where she hopes to, not only compete with the world’s best but also elevate Kenyan golf.
“I want to play on the international tours. I want to play on the Ladies European Tour. Go to Q-School. So, for me, achieving my first goal and dream of being the first woman professional on the PGK is just a path,” says Naomi when Nation Sport caught up with her at Mombasa Golf Club.
At just 27 years old, Naomi is not only Kenya’s second-ever female professional golfer but also the first woman to join the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK), and she is redefining the course of women’s golf in East Africa.
The first ever lady golfer to turn professional in Kenya, was none other than Naomi’s mentor and auntie, the legendary Rose Naliaka.
Naomi Wafula in action during the Shunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing in Ruiru
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Naliaka turned professional in 2005 after playing competitive amateur golf, where she literally won every national ladies' event in Kenya and Africa.
Professional, Naliaka played in a number of events in South Africa as well as Europe, before she set up a golf academy in 2006 that has produced several young talents, including Naomi.
A week ago, she was in Rwanda for her first international, the SportsBiz Africa Golf Championship, where she showcased her talent on the global level. Besides making the cut, Naomi also hit a hole-in-one on day two of the tournament.
This being her first international tournament as a professional golfer, her participation not only marked a personal achievement but also a proud moment for Kenyan golf.
Back at home, in August, she made her debut in the women’s field in the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, which resumed with a double-header in Mombasa.
She was the only professional woman player on the start list, and was the highlight in the tournament dominated by men.
The tour’s third leg was held between August 4 and 6 at the Nyali Golf and Country Club, which was followed by the fourth leg from August 9 to 11 at the Diamonds Leisure, South Coast.
The Sunshine Development Tour is the only golf tour in East Africa that offers World Golf Ranking points, which are mandatory for Olympic qualification and a clear pathway to one of the world’s top golf tours, the Sunshine Tour.
“With these two tours ongoing right here, my goal is to participate in as many as I can and hopefully earn the opportunity to play on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa or go to Q-School in Europe,” she says.
Naomi Wafula chips from 18th hole fairway to during Round two of the Fourth leg Safari Tour at Sigona Golf Club on October 26, 2020.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Naomi was introduced to the sport by her aunt Rose Naliaka at the age of six. Rose was a pioneering golfer herself.
“My aunt Rose Naliaka took me from the village and brought me to Nairobi,” Naomi recalls. “
Auntie Rose taught me tennis, swimming, and eventually golf. I would follow her to tournaments, and that’s how it all started.”
She says life in Kitale was not easy, as her mother was a seamstress and at times, she couldn’t take care of all four children at the same time.
She points out why her aunt Naliaka brought her to Nairobi and raised her. Naomi was an all-round athlete at Makini School in Nairobi, where she did he secondary education, but she chose to stick with golf after graduating.
However, her rise was far from smooth. At one point, she stood on the streets of Kitale cooking and selling chips to make ends meet.
“Along my golf journey, I’ve had amazing people support me. I could not have done this alone, and I just thank God for sending all the people he has sent to me to be able to help me – those who paid my school fees, those who have supported me in travelling for tournaments,” says Naomi. At one point, she went back to Kitale and started cooking and selling chips. “I was also very business-minded, and I wanted to have my own business,” she recalls.
One day, in 2022, while in Kitale, she got a call from a senior official from a betting company who offered to start sponsoring her golf career. This changed things, and she moved back to Nairobi.
“From there, I started playing golf again. My game was still good.”
A year later, things got even better.
“One day I got invited to play in the Magical Kenya Ladies Open, part of the Ladies European Tour, at Vipingo Ridge,” she recalls.
After her performance at the event, the team at Vipingo Ridge recognised her potential and offered her the opportunity to stay there, giving her free access to training facilities so she could pursue her dream of turning professional.
After joining Vipingo Ridge, she received significant support for her golfing career, including free access to training facilities.
Since 2022, she has been training at Vipingo Ridge, which has helped her improve her game. In 2023, she became the first female Kenyan to make the cut at the Ladies European Tour, which led to more invitations to play in Europe.
The same year, Naomi, who had been featuring in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series, became the first female to win the Kiambu Open, a KAGC event. However, the KAGC being a preserve for male golfers, she was able to win the cash plus some World Amateur Rankings points.
She spent three months in Europe, which had a big impact on her career and solidified her goal to turn professional and play on tour. She then returned to Kenya, and she has been training at Vipingo Ridge.
At Vipingo Ridge, Naomi has been training intensively to improve her golf game. She has free access to the training range and golf course and is using advanced equipment like the G-squad machine to analyse her performance data.
She has been receiving coaching from PGA professional David Marsh, who helps her with her swing and provides drills.
Additionally, she also follows a rigorous gym routine five days a week to build strength and maintain her fitness.
According to her, the support and facilities at Vipingo Ridge have played a significant role in her development as a professional golfer.
“This has a very big impact on my golfing career at the moment, as now I’m competing with the best at the highest level,” she says.
Nothing comes on a silver platter, and for Naomi, she is facing challenges which include the high costs associated with travelling to golf tournaments and the difficulty of securing sponsorships.
However, she has been able to manoeuvre these challenges by maintaining a strong mentality and a positive outlook despite difficulties.
She believes that if she continues playing and performing well, sponsors will eventually come.
Despite these challenges, Naomi finds joy in travelling, meeting new people, and experiencing different cultures, which helps her stay motivated. “Now that I have joined the tour, the PGK Tour, I believe that sponsors will come in, because I have just joined after the other professionals.
They had already gotten their sponsors, but I joined later than that. So, I believe if I continue playing, I’ll have sponsors coming in. Otherwise, we’re travelling all the time to different places, and it’s quite expensive.”
Since turning professional in July this year, Naomi has featured in five pro events and made the cut in three.
“My golf journey has been amazing, full of wins, full of challenges, and just like any other work, the challenges will always be there. But for me, the strongest strength I have, I’ll say, is my mentality. I have a very strong mentality, and I always look at things positively, despite any challenges,” says Naomi.
Her advice to young people is to keep dreaming, maintain a positive mindset, appreciate what they have, and enjoy the process of working toward their goals..
“There are so many girls out there with talent, and I will just tell them to keep dreaming.”
“You might not have everything you need to make you what you want to be, but for now, work with what you have. Appreciate everything that you have, take it one step at a time and always enjoy the process of working towards your goal. Enjoy the process. And that’s where the magic happens,” she says.
So, is there someone special in her life? Naomi smiles: “I just want to concentrate on my golf right now.”
