German Esther Henseleit made a dramatic comeback on the tournament’s final round, turning the tables on three rounds leader, Swede LinneaStröm, to retained her Magical Kenya Ladies Open title at the Vipingo Ridge on the eve of Valentine’s Day.

Henseleit carded a round of 70 to end her campaign at the event with a 2-under par 286 score to claim the second edition of the championship. The final day turned out to be dramatic as the German international who was trailing Sweden’s Linnea Strom for the better part of the day rallied her shots to close the gap and claim the prestigious title. She carded a round of 33 in the first nine and 37 in the second to finish the day with a total of 70, adding to her 74, 73 and 69 rounds in the first three rounds respectively to finish with 286. 

Henseleit won the inaugural Magical Kenya Ladies Open tournament in 2019, takes home 45,000 Euros for her efforts.

Henseleit, who won the inaugural Magical Kenya Ladies Open tournament in 2019, takes home 45,000 Euros (approximately KES5.8 million) for her efforts. The tournament was the season opener for the 2022 Ladies European Tour, with a total prize purse of €300,000 (Approximately Ksh 38 million). 

Speaking following her win, Henseleit said: “At the first, I just put my drive a little bit left and was blocked to the green. I hit a good shot into the green but couldn’t make a par putt. Then I played pretty well and holed some good long putts and kept it together. In the end, it was a bit of a struggle, but I made it, and I am pretty proud of my last few holes. I have been struggling with the putter a lot over the last one and a half. Years so it’s pretty cool that held the last one.”

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, who graced the event’s final day, noted the tournament plays a crucial role in developing golf in the country.

“It is an honour for Kenya to be hosting this prestigious Ladies Open after a two-year interruption following the Covid-19 Pandemic. We are proud that in 2020, Kenya was voted as the best golf destination in Africa at the World Golf Awards. This tournament, therefore, is another indication of Kenya’s diligence and commitment to hosting world-class sporting events,” Kenyatta said. 

On her part, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amb. Amina Mohammed hinted at considerations to increase the tournament’s prize money to raise its profile on the global scene. 

“I urge all sponsors of this tournament to up this figure because it is essential that we appreciate the international golfers who come to play here. As the government and title sponsors of the tournament, we shall continue to support this tournament and pledge also to increase our money for this event,” said Amina. 

Tourism & Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, NajibBalala, urged the Ladies European Tour to make the tournament a permanent feature, noting that it plays a key role in positioning the country as a top golfing and tourism destination. 

“We want this event to be an annual event that continues even beyond this government. We have laid the foundation, and I urge that the funding is raised so that the tournament can attract more international players golfers to come and play.”

Meanwhile, at least 20 junior golfers were treated to a golf clinic on the sidelines of the main competition, by four of the Ladies European Tour professionals and amateur Kenyan player Naomi Wafula. The clinic, sponsored by Safaricom’s M-PESA, aimed to inspire young golfers from the Junior Golf Foundation and bolster national efforts in nurturing budding Kenyan golf talent as part of a country-wide initiative to expand horizons through the sport. It is hoped the world will see a Kenyan golfer play in the Olympics by 2028.

The juniors, boys and girls of different ages, were from Vipingo Ridge’s weekly golf program for underprivileged children from the local village, as well as from a similar scheme at Nyali Golf Club. Both programs are supported by a new partnership between KGU/KLGU and U.S. Kids Golf that aims to get young Kenyans into golf and fall under the Junior Golf Foundation umbrella.

Alex Swayne, Rochelle Morris, Gabrielle Macdonald, LuizaAltmann from the Ladies European Tour, as well as Kenya’s Naomi, attended the session. Each player introduced themselves, explaining at what age they started playing the game and the journey they have been on to reach the point where they are at now. After this, the players took it in turns to show the children how they play with certain clubs.

Vipingo Ridge’s Director of Golf Saleem Haji said that the clinic aimed to coach the junior players, inspire the next generation of golfers, and showcase how sport can be leveraged to uplift quality of life for Kenyans.

“Part of the agreement we have with the Government and the sponsors is that we have to use some of the funds we get to grow the game. Recently, there has been a really positive growth with junior golf, thanks to initiatives such as getting the U.S. Kids Golf organisation to come and do training sessions for the coaches. The training methods are really unique and effective for kids because the attention span for kids is really short, and you need to engage them quickly and get them to doing stuff.”

He added: “Today was a little different because the players are effectively in a bubble, and they can’t freely interact with the kids as we would like them to, but the demonstration of just how good these pros are was to give them the motivation to keep working on their skills regardless of whether they come from a privileged background or underprivileged background. Golf is a great equalizer as it doesn’t really care where you come from; it only depends how well you play.”

On his part, Vipingo Ridge Chairman, Alastair Cavenagh, said: “We are glad to have hosted this golf clinic today in partnership with Safaricom as part of the Magical Kenya Ladies Open activities. It was an important experience for the young golfers as they got a chance to interact with some of the world’s best lady golfers and got to learn from them, not only on matters golf but also some important life values associated with the sport.”