Nyali’s William Odeck won the 47th NCBA Kenya Amateur Stroke Play Championship at the Par 71 Nyali Golf and Country Club on Sunday.
Odeck beat Karanga of Kiambu Golf Club after a dramatic playoff. Both players finished the regulation four rounds with a total score of 293, necessitating a three-hole playoff on holes 13, 14, and 18.
In the playoff, Michael Karanga bogeyed holes 13 and 18 and made par on hole 14, finishing with a score of +2.
On the other hand, Odeck parred hole 13 and bogeyed holes 14 and 18 to edge out Karanga by one stroke and secure his first-ever victory in the KAGC series.
“I had never won any KAGC event since I started playing in the series about six years ago,” said the 34-year-old Odeck.
He added, “I didn’t expect this victory. On the first day, I played seven over par and on the following day, I had a +2. I just wanted to finish this event below +10.”
Following the victory, Odeck has now secured a direct ticket to next year’s Kenya Open.
Karanga, known for his precise play and consistent performance, has already won three trophies in this year’s KAGC series.
He secured victories at the 104th NCBA Coast Open ‘Barry Cup’ at the Mombasa Golf Club on July 28, the NCBA Coronation Cup at Nakuru on June 2 and the NCBA Limuru Open on July 7.
The 47th NCBA Kenya Amateur Stroke Play Championship attracted 96 players from Ethiopia, India, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
The four-day tournament, which ran from Thursday to Sunday, was dubbed the “Kenyatta Memorial Bowl” in memory of Kenya’s first President, the Late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
The trophy was first presented in 1978 by Kenya Golf Union’s first African chairman Chris Kahara, and the 1977/78 Kenya Golf Union (KGU) chairperson Col. M.J. Harbage.
