Kenya and Uganda will renew their Golf rivalry in the fifth edition of the Victoria cup set to begin this Thursday, at the Limuru Country Club.
Kenya Golf Union (KGU) chairperson Njani Nderitu says the chilly weather in Limuru is the perfect recipe for competition expected at the course as hosts Kenya seek to reclaim the title they lost in 2019.
“Golf is a sport played in different kinds of environments and as amateur golfers, they have to be prepared to compete in different conditions. The dates for the event were sent a long time ago and the invites were sent to Uganda,”Nderitu said.
The first edition of the Victoria Cup took place in 2016 with Kenya clinching the first three editions before Uganda sweeping the last one in 2019 held in Entebbe.
Kenya, however stamped its authority two weeks ago when they won the Africa Zone IV Golf Championships in Uganda.
Despite their dominance over their East African rivals, Golf Chair Nderitu gave credit to Uganda for the progress made in recent years.
“The truth is Uganda is not an easy opponent to play against. The fact that they won in 2019 shows how far they have come but I believe we also have what it takes to ensure the cup remains here in Kenya. We have trained well and are prepared,” Nderitu said.
The Kenyans, under Coach John van Liefland, have been in training for the past three weeks.
The tournament starts on Thursday and is set to run through Sunday and both Kenya and Uganda will be represented by 10 golfers each.
After this weekend’s action, attention shifts to the All Africa Golf Team Championships scheduled to take place in Cairo, Egypt on September 25th.