26th January 2003

Indiza takes ‘Nation’ title at Muthaiga
By LARRY NGALA

Long driving Dismas Indiza completed a 72-hole total of eight under par 276 to claim the top prize in the Nation Classic golf tournament for professionals at Muthaiga Golf Club yesterday.

Indiza, who lead from the first round, shot level par 71 in yesterday’s fourth and final round to win by five shots from Royal Nairobi’s Hardeep Thethy.
Starting with a bogey at the first hole, the Kitale-based Indiza birdied the fourth, sixth and ninth for two under par 34 in the opening nine.
He, however, bogeyed all the three par threes at the back nine (11th, 13th and 15th) then birdied the 16th for two over par 37.
Thethy shot four under par 32 in the first nine, firing in birdie-putts at the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth.

He birdied the 10th and dropped two shots at the 13th and 17th for one over 36 to make 68 for the day and a total of three under par 281.
In third place on one under par 283 was Railway’s Jacob Okello, who fired four under par 67 for a total of level par 284.
Okello buried the fourth at the front nine for the one under par 35. He then buried the 10th, 12th, 13th and 16th and only dropped a shot at the last hole for three under par 32.

A shot behind Okello was Sigona’s John Kiondo, who posted three over 74 in the fourth round for a total of one over par 285.
A total of 16 professionals took part in the four-day Sh100,000 event.
The professionals used it as a build-up for this year’s Kenya Open scheduled for next month at a venue yet to be announced.

The next stop for the professionals will be next week’s Bamburi Cement Challenge 2003 at Nyali Golf and Country Club.

Meanwhile, a large field of 240 amateurs were still battled it out for the seven prizes and seven places in the Nation Classic grand finale.

The morning lots saw Bill Okwirry leading the amateurs’ scores with 39 points.
Mohammed Wanyoike, though, was not among the leaders in the morning sessions. However, he was a happy man after firing a hole-in-one.

The handicap 14 Wanyoike, a member of Thika and Karen Country Club, fired a seven-iron to about five feet on, and the ball rolled into the hole.

The Top eight pros after the final round of the 72-hole Nation Classic Pro tournament:
Dismas Indiza (Kitale) 276- 66, 71, 68, 71;
Hardeep Thethy (Royal) 281- 71, 74, 68, 68;
Jacob Okello (Railway) 283- 71, 71, 74, 67;
Peter Njiru (Windsor) 284- 74, 65, 73, 72;
John Kiondo (Sigona) 285- 75, 68, 68, 74;
James Ngigi (Limuru) 289- 75, 72, 70, 72;
Juma Mrami (TZ) 290- 73, 67, 73, 77;
Fred Kamau 292- 77, 73, 71, 71;
Peter Mwangi (Limuru) 292- 73, 77, 72, 70