Veteran Nation Media Group (NMG) sports writer Larry Ngala was over the weekend honoured for his dedication to promoting golf through reporting.
Ngala was awarded by the Nyali Golf and Country Club for “being an iconic media champion for the sport over the years."
“I’m happy that clubs appreciate what I do in supporting the development of golf through my reporting. I love golf and that is why I have dedicated my career to it,” said Ngala after receiving the award during the 2023 Nyali Open Championship, which concluded on Sunday in Mombasa.
Ngala initially covered football, athletics, basketball, volleyball and handball, but the need to help promote golf in the country, he said, motivated him to dedicate his career to it.
“I wanted to demystify the game because many people believed it was for the elites only. I am happy to see that many Kenyans now play golf and perform very well,” he said.
Nyali Golf and Country Club chairman Kamami Njoroge said: “Mr Ngala has been covering the game of golf since 1978 to date. His work had gone greatly towards demystifying the game of golf as being elitist and also growing it by making it known in all corners of the country through his coverage.”
He is among the journalists who were on May 4 presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2023 Annual Journalism Excellence Awards organised by the Media Council of Kenya.
In 2020, he was recognised by the European Challenge Tour for continually covering the Kenya Open.
Alongside the late President Mwai Kibaki, Ngala was 2018 inducted into the Hall of Fame during the Kenya Open 50th Anniversary.
“All the awards are a big motivation to me. They give me motivation to keep doing what I love and even double my effort towards it,” said Ngala.
At the Nyali Open Championship, Sal Davis was recognised as the pioneer African to play in the Nyali Open.
