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Dazzling Elias Kariuki carded 39 stablefold points to take the coveted Overall Gross Winner title at the Unicolour Golf Day held at the Ruiru Sports Club over the weekend.
Playing off handicap 15, Kariuki warded off stiff opposition from men’s winner John Njeru and men’s runners up Joseph Mwangi on countbacks.
“The contest was very stiff, but I managed my game well on the back nine to lock in the win,” Kariuki told Standard Sports after he nailed the sweet victory.
“The course was in great condition, and I’m deeply grateful to organisers for putting together such a memorable tournament that gave everyone a chance to showcase their talents on the scenic fairways,” stated Kariuki who received a Sh 130,000 home makeover prize from sponsors United Paints as a reward for his feat.
In the women’s category, Jane Kanari showcased exceptional consistency to seal the ladies crown with 37 points playing off handicap 24. She navigated past ladies’ runners up Jane Macharia, who carded 36 points off handicap 34.
The Junior division delivered the highest scores of the tournament with handicap 19 Andrew Njenga firing 41 points to water down Amani Kiarie’s impressive 40.
In the corporate category, John Baptista scooped the sponsor’s title with 36 points off handicap 15 as Esther Kabau finished runners up on 29 points.
The seniors category honors went to Kamau Wangondu on 36 points as Anthony Kimani bagged the gross winner’s title on 31.
The evening of the high-spirited event concluded with the awarding of other prizes which included the longest drive (Tracisio Nyamu and Ann Kanyori) and the nearest-to-the-pin honors (John Gichuru and Jecinta Nyagithii).
While congratulating the winners, United Paints Managing Director Steve Moche said: “This tournament is about bringing people together and building long lasting partnerships.
“We are not only proud to have employed over 100 Kenyans in the market; we are glad that we are also supporting local talents through this tournament that we also look forward to making even bigger and better in the annual Kenyan golfing calendar.”
His sentiments were echoed by other co-sponsors TGR Credit, Kwetu Place and Metropolitan Hospital who resonated well with the theme of the day.
The weekend Ruiru showpiece seamlessly blended competitive play with community networking, underscoring the tournament theme “United for a purpose” that resonated throughout the day and into the evening that was dominated with a glittering prize-giving gala.
The next leg of the golf series will head to Thika Sports Club on August 29 which will be followed by other countrywide tours.