Kitatta faces Simwa in Kenya Matchplay final

By Douglas Mazune

WILLY Kitatta, Uganda’s lone representative in the Kenya Amateur Match-play Championship has scrapped through a strong field 63 local golfers to make the final of the prestigious tournament.

Not one to be intimidated by tense situations, Kitatta defied an enthusiastic home gallery at Royal Nairobi Golf Club to win a sudden death playoff on hole No.1 against Steve Karanja after their semifinal contest was all-square after 18 holes.

The ESKOM sponsored Kitatta now faces Kenyan Nelson Simwa on Saturday in what is expected to be a grueling 36-hole match-play contest whose winner will get a slot in the 2014 Barclays Kenya Open in March, 2014. The Kenya Open is a European Tour event with an amateur category.

“This is between Kitatta and Simwa. It is a competition between Kenya and Uganda. I will go to the course with the determination of making my country proud. I want to win this tournament for Uganda,” Kitatta told New Vision Sport by phone from Nairobi. 

“The house here is fantastic and I like my game. It has not been easy to get to this level when the home fans are really cheering every good shot by their popular players. I have been calm and focused. I think I will have the last laugh,” Kitatta remarked.

Earlier Kitatta beat South Africa based Abel Balala and Reuben Njoroge in the four-day tournament that attracted all Kenya’s top amateur players.

Simwa ejected defending champion Tony Omuli in the semifinal.