HARISH WINS NCBA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Shashwat Harish was once again in a class of his own in the NCBA Invitational as he played under par for the third consecutive day. Harish saved the best for last and played an impressive six under par 66.

In the first round, he played two under par 70, the same score he got on the second day. His total for the tournament is an impressive ten under par 206, his best ever scores in any competition.

He promised to play better in the final round, and he delivered.

“It was there, the drive to do well but it wasn’t like I was gunning for it. I hit great shots, I put the ball close, I made good putts but at the end of the day, what made the difference is I’m getting to know my game very well,” said Harish.

Shashwat said mentally he was more prepared and took the opportunities when they came his way. Despite the strong winds at the Windsor Golf and Country Club, Shashwat was able to control his game and took advantage of the intensive training he has put in in the last four months.

“I get to the course an hour before competition just to hit balls. I also go to the gym as the first thing just to get the body moving and get in shape. I stick to my routine not just physically, but mentally as well by getting in the right space. These things are very important,” elaborated Harish.

Aiden Gachora who started in fifth position on day one played an impressive level par in round three to move to the second position behind Shashwat with a score of 13 over par 229. Mwathi Gicheru and Shashank Sachin tied for third with a score of 14 over par 230, just one shot behind Gachora.

The other competitive group was the girls 15-18 years category. Maryam Mwakitawa and Audrey Gachora played identical two over par 74 in round two, but Mwakitawa held a one-shot lead overall going into the final third round. The final round witnessed another tie, Audrey Gachora and Bianca Ngecu both with a score of five over par 77. Mwakitawa, who had a rough day on the course, managed a score of nine over par 81. This gave Gachora the overall lead with a score of 15 over par 231, three strokes better than Mwakitawa. Gachora had promised to turn the tables on Mwakitawa in the final round.

“I didn’t have that much confidence but in my heart I felt I was going to win. My highest moment was when I got two birdies on the par fives, and I was going really well at one over(par). But then I bogeyed hole number nine, then my lowest moment came when unfortunately I got an eight on a par four putting me at five over par, but then I stayed at that to the end,” she explained.

For Mwakitawa, it was a day to forget as nothing seemed to be working well for her.

”My tee shots were quiet challenging. I couldn’t keep my drivers straight, I couldn’t go where I wanted to go, I struggled because I found myself in the rough most of the time. I was fighting for pars and birdies but some doubles (bogeys) came along the way, I turned at level par and I guess I got too eager and everything just blew up in my face,” she explained.

The NCBA Invitational has attracted more than 116 golfers from 10 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe.  The three-day tournament will conclude on Monday. The event is crucial as it will count for order of merit points for non-handicapped and handicapped boys and girls between 15 -18 years old in the Kenyan Junior Golf Foundation system for the year 2024. It is also an event where they will earn World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points.