How sibling rivalry is spicing up Sunshine Tour in Naivasha

 

Njoroge Kibugu hints that 'small' battles with his brother Mutahi is what has propelled him to the top of the leader board. 

Wangai admits he always feels bad if his younger brother Samuel fails to attack the pristine course well.

Golf is always a wonderful sport. It is even more interesting if you play the game alongside or against your own sibling.

The ongoing Sunshine Development Tour (SDT) Qualifying School at the Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort in Naivasha has enough sibling rivalries that are playing on the pristine, lush fairways.

The brothers are jostling, as they put their best foot forward, to book slots to the supposedly 15 legged Sunshine Development Tour- East Africa Swing Series.

The siblings are also displaying perfect swings on the course as they forage for tickets to the prestigious Sunshine Tour Qualifying Final slated for Johannesburg, South Africa next week.

The competition for the impressive 10 slots to South Africa has already grown fierce in Naivasha as the championship heads to the final stage on Thursday.

From the Kibugu brothers Njoroge and Mutahi, to C.J Wangai and Samuel Njoroge, to Hesbon Kutwa and Robinson Owiti, the siblings are breathing fire on the course as they fight their own battles to punch the tickets.

Others in the tournament, who have also sharpened their claws in the sport as a result of great challenge from their own siblings, include Nelson Simwa (Vetlab), Edwin Mudanyi (Karen), Jeff Kubwa (Royal) among others.

"Indeed it's an honour to play this tournament with my brother, it will even be a great honour if both of us qualify to South Africa," Njoroge, who is commanding the leader board, told Standard Sports.

Njoroge, 21, the younger sibling of the Kibugu brothers, took command of the championship driving seat on Tuesday when the axe fell on 20 of the 70 participants.

"We were introduced to golf by our father, I grew up playing the game with my brother Mutahi. We always have these positive contests among ourselves. Even in this tournament, the ‘small small’ battles have sharpened us, they are what propelled us to make the cut here and also drove me to the commanding seat,” Njoroge said.

"We always have these small competitions, even when playing big tournaments like this and even during the Magical Kenya Open (MKO).

"The ‘private’ challenges among ourselves have kept us grounded in this sport, actually this is what has taken me to the top in this Qualifying School," Njoroge hinted.

"Our positive rivalry on the course has helped us to develop into mature professionals even though we are still young. I encourage other siblings in the game to try it out.

Sigona pro Wangai, 38, says it's a great feeling to hunt for the elusive SDT tickets at the Qualifying School with his younger brother Njoroge, 31, of Railway Golf Club.

"It's a privilege to play here, with my brother and my prayer is that we all make it to South Africa next week by finishing in the top 10 in this tournament," said Wangai who also doubles as the Professional Golfers of Kenya Chairman.

Both Wangai and Njoroge were introduced to the game by their father Joseph Chege, 65, who is a member of Njoro Country Club. Their other sibling, Richard Muthokia, 22, is also based at Railway.

"Playing together here and sometimes at the MKO only means we are still carrying out our father's legacy. Chege still guides us in the sport to date," says Wangai who is a member of Njoro, Railway and Sigona golf clubs.

Through golf, Wangai’s family fortune changed for the better.

"All the assets we have now are from the sport. My first plane ticket came from golf; I have globe trotted as a result of golf. I live, drink and eat golf," he reiterated.

Wangai says he does not feel any pressure to beat siblings on the golf course.

"This is not really for us, as we are always out to support each other. Actually, if I play badly my brother gets depressed. If he is horrible on the pitch, I also feel bad. This is because we have grown up supporting each other," Wangai said.

Hesbon Kutwa, 62, says he is not focused on beating his younger brother Robinson Owiti at the Qualifying School and instead he is up against the large competition field in the tournament that is standing between him and the precious tickets to South Africa.

"I have always had only two pressures in golf; the first one was to turn pro ahead of my younger brother which I did 26 years ago," the Royal Nairobi Golf Club veteran said.

"The second challenge was to overcome our telepathic feelings on the golf course. In our earlier golfing careers, we found out that every tournament we attended we were always dressed in similar attires, even though we were not staying together.

“There was a time we attended six consecutive tournaments at Muthaiga dressed in similar tops, caps, trousers and even socks every day, yet we were not coming from the same house. We had to sit down and talk! We started comparing what we were putting on in other subsequent championships so that people could stop referring to us as 'twins'.