Shah leads home charge at Magical Kenya

Nyali’s Golf Club Bhavi Shah will be Kenya’s sole lady pro representing the country at the Ladies European Tour’s Magical Kenya Ladies Open which tees off at Vipingo Ridge’s PGA Baobab course on Thursday.

She is representing the country alongside four amateurs Agnes Nyakio, former Kenya ladies champion Naomi Wafula, Mercy Nyanchama from Vet Lab and Golf Park’s Margaret Njoki.

Shah who has been playing in the Safari Tour is lined up for Match 1 and will tee it up at 7:30am from the first tee alongside Agathe Sauzon of France and Nobuhle Dlamini of Switzerland.

“It’s such a great feeling to play alongside Tour stars first of all we don’t have any professional tournament for ladies in Kenya, I hope this will inspire many lady players to turn pro and play and hopefully we have our own small tour,” Shah remarked.

She believes despite the challenge from Europe’s finest she has what it takes to make a mark.

“My first target will be to make the cut, only 65 percent will go through to the weekend and I have been practising here all over last week, now it’s time to see what I can do,” she added

Meanwhile, Kenyan amateurs are all set and ready for the fairy tale experience in Vipingo. Golf Park’s Margaret Njoki is lined up for match 34 and will tee it up from the tenth tee alongside German pros Sophie Hausmann and Carolin Kauffmann.

Former Kenya ladies champion Naomi is on Match 24 starting off from the first tee along with Ursula Wikstrom of Finland and Charlotte Thompson from England.

The format of the tournament will be 72-hole stroke play; running over four days.

The event whose total prize fund is 300,000 Euros (Sh33 million) has attracted a field of 108 players drawn from Europe, America and Africa.

The winner of the event will walk away with 45,000 Euros (Sh. 5 million).

Round 1 Draw-–Thursday December 4

 Match 1                               7:30                (1) Bhavi Shah (KEN) Agathe Sauzon (FRA) Nobuhle Dlamini (SWZ)

Match 2                                7:41                (1) Gemma Dryburgh (SCO) Rosie Davies (ENG) Gemma Clews (ENG)

Match 3                                7:52                (1) Pasqualle Coffa (NED) Krista Bakker (FIN) Becky Kay (AUS)

Match 4                                8:03                (1 Astha Madan (IND) Becky Brewerton (WAL) Amy Walsh (AUS)

Match 5                                8:14                (1) Charlotte Leathem (ENG) Valentine Derrey (FRA) Lynn Carlsson (SWE)

Match 6                                8:25                (1) Inci Mehmet (ENG) Isabella Deilert (SWE) Elina Nummenpaa (FIN)

Match 8                                8:47                (1 Luiza Altmann (BRA) Manon De Roey (BEL) Leticia Ras-anderica (GER)

Match 9                                8:58                (1) Filippa Moork (SWE) Verena Gimmy (GER) Ana Menendez (MEX)

Match 10                              7:30                (10) Liz Young (ENG) Emilie Alonso (FRA)

Match 11                              7:41                (10) Lina Boqvist (SWE) Emma Nilsson (SWE) Felicity Johnson (ENG)

Match 12                              7:52                (10) Karolin Lampert (GER) Carly Booth (SCO) Becky Morgan (WAL)

Match 13                              8:03                (10) Beth Allen (USA) Tonje Daffinrud (NOR) Aditi Ashok (IND)

Match 14                              8:14                (10) Olivia Cowan (GER) Esther Henseleit (GER) Cheyenne Woods (USA)

Match 15                              8:25                (10) Annabel Dimmock (ENG) Lakareber Abe (USA) Florentyna Parker (ENG)

Match 16                              8:36                (10 Georgia Iziemgbe Oboh (NGR) Jessica Karlsson (SWE) Katja Pogacar (SLO)

Match 17                              8:47                (10) Sarina Schmidt (GER) Dulcie Sverdloff (ENG) Kiran Matharu (ENG)

Match 18                              8:58                (10) Sarah Nilsson (SWE) Frida Gustafsson Spang (SWE) Elena Moosmann (SUI)

Match 19                              11:50             (1) Kelsey Macdonald (SCO) Noemi Jimenez Martin (ESP) Michele Thomson (SCO)

Match 20                              12:01             (1) Caroline Rominger (SUI) Lydia Hall (WAL) Kylie Henry (SCO)

Match 21                              12:12             (1) Noora Komulainen (FIN) Laura Fuenfstueck (GER) Camille Chevalier (FRA)

Match 22                              12:23             (1) Julia Engstrom (SWE) Camilla Lennarth (SWE) Amy Boulden (WAL)

Match 23                              12:34             (1) Christine Wolf (AUT) Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) Meghan MacLaren (ENG)

Match 24                              12:45             (1) Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) Naomi Wafula (KEN) Charlotte Thompson (ENG)

Match 25                              12:56             (1) Diksha Dagar (IND) Stacy Lee Bregman (RSA) Eleanor Givens (ENG)

 Match 26     13:07             (1) Linda Wessberg (SWE) Sanna Nuutinen (FIN) Cloe Frankish (ENG)

Match 27                              13:18             (1) Mercy Nyanchama (KEN) Celina Yuan (AUS) Maria Palacios (PER)

Match 28                              11:50             (10) Maha Haddioui (MAR) Maria Hernandez (ESP) 2

Match 29                              12:01             (10) Emie Peronnin (FRA) Patricia Sanz Barrio (ESP) Lejan Lewthwaite (RSA)

Match 30                              12:12             10) Elia Folch (ESP) Justine Dreher (FRA) Sarah Schober (AUT)

Match 31                              12:23             10 Astrid Vayson De Pradenne (FRA) Manon Gidali (FRA) Sian Evans (ENG)

Match 32                              12:34             10 Marta Sanz Barrio (ESP) Valdis Thora Jonsdottir (ISL) Gabriella Cowley (ENG)

 Match 33     12:45             10 Lauren Taylor (ENG) Vani Kapoor (IND) Isabelle Boineau (FRA)

Match 34                              12:56             10 Sophie Hausmann (GER) Margaret Njoki (KEN) Carolin Kauffmann (GER)

Match 35                              13:07             10 Rachel Drummond (ENG) Sideri Vanova (CZE) Vera Shimanskaya (RUS)

Match 36                              13:18             10 Laura Gonzalez Escallon (BEL) Tiia Koivisto (FIN) Agnes Nyakio (KEN)