Last week, Naomi Wafula, Kenya’s Ladies Amateur Champion and Vipingo Ridge’s PGA Academy top student, played the prestigious Amundi German Masters in Berlin at the invitation of the Ladies European Tour. Despite being a professional tour, amateur Naomi was put forward by promoters of the Magical Kenya Ladies Open U.COM Event and took her place among a player field of 126 at Golf & Country Club Seddiner See.
In the first group out on Day One, playing with Germany’s Carolin Kauffman and Polly Mack, Naomi performed well with an eagle on the 16th to the delight of the gallery of spectators and finished strong on the last two holes, narrowly missing further birdie opportunities. Unfortunately, her chipping and putting were generally off and she completed the round at four-over-par.
Conditions on Day Two were difficult, with rain and wind and the course being very wet. Naomi did well to adapt her short game to play under these extraordinary conditions and was one-under-par, within a shot of the predicted cut, after nine holes. The back nine however proved to be very tough and Naomi ended the day at three over par after 15 holes when play had to be stopped.
The final three holes of Round Two were played on Friday but unfortunate mistakes were made as the force of the wind was misjudged and Naomi finished at eight-over-par. Despite missing the cut by six shots, she was ahead of many more experienced Tour players on the leader board and counts her performance as a success. Naomi returns home to Kenya a star having made a lot of fans in Germany amongst the spectators and players alike. Back at Vipingo Ridge and the PGA Academy, there is plenty of work to be done improving her short game from 100 yards in, including chipping, putting and bunker shots. Naomi’s next tournament is at Muthaiga Golf Club on Sunday and she looks forward to bringing her new experience to the game. She is certainly one to watch and could be a real contender for a Kenyan spot at the Olympics in 2024.
Naomi’s journey is proof of horizons being broadened through the game of golf and she hopes her story inspires young Kenyans. When asked about the week, she said: “I had a fun week. I got to learn and experience a lot and played with amazing players who told me the secret is practice and more practice. I was really pleased with my scores even though I didn’t make the cut because they showed how much my game has improved since training with the PGA Academy. I am so grateful to Vipingo Ridge, U.COM and everyone who has supported me on this journey. I have come from a humble background, cooking and selling chips in my village, and now I am travelling the world with golf. I hope my story will inspire others and we will see more Kenyans join professional tours in time.”
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