Five Kenyan amateur golfers have been officially selected to participate in the highly anticipated fourth edition of the Magical Kenya Ladies Open (MKLO), slated for February 8 to 11, 2024, at the PGA Baobab Course in Vipingo Ridge, Kilifi County.
The quintet, consisting of Naomi Wafula, Mercy Nyanchama, Channelle Wangari, Jacqueline Walter, and Kellie Gachaga, will be part of a field of 108 participants from around the globe in the exclusive women’s professional golf tournament, the only one of its kind in East Africa.
Leading the Kenyan contingent is 26-year-old Naomi Wafula, hailing from Vipingo Ridge’s PGA Academy. A seasoned participant in the MKLO, this marks her fourth appearance, having previously competed in 2019, 2022, and 2023. In the previous year, she achieved a historic feat by becoming the first Kenyan to make the cut at the Ladies European Tour event, finishing 56th with 18 over par 310. Her remarkable performance earned her an invitation to the prestigious 2023 Amundi German Masters and a victory at the 2023 Kiambu Open.
Mercy Nyanchama, aged 28, from VetLab Sports Club, is set to make her fourth appearance at the tournament. Having demonstrated outstanding prowess at the 2022 MKLO, where she emerged as the highest-ranked Kenyan, Nyanchama boasts victories in the 2022 Kenya Amateur Match Play tournament and the 2023 KAREN LADIES OPEN.
Seventeen-year-old Channelle Wangari, also from VetLab Sports Club, is making her third appearance at the tournament. An emerging star in Kenyan golf, Wangari has secured wins at the Kenya Ladies Open Amateur Championship in 2022 and the Faldo Series Kenya Championship. She has also represented Kenya at the 2018 All-Africa Junior Challenge in Morocco and earned qualification for the R&A Junior in England.
Jacqueline Walter, a golfer from Vipingo Ridge’s PGA Academy, is returning for her second appearance at the tournament. Familiar with the Baobab Course, Walter is aiming to leverage her local knowledge for a strong performance.
Completing the Kenyan lineup is 23-year-old Kellie Gachaga from Muthaiga Golf Club, making her debut appearance. Gachaga, a winner of the Kenya Ladies Open Strokeplay and Matchplay in 2016 at the age of 16, adds a promising dimension to the team.
The tournament has attracted top golfers from the Ladies European Tour, including German Alexandra Försterling, Czech Republic’s Kristýna Napoleaová, England’s Alice Hewson, Thailand’s April Angurasaranee, and last year’s hole-in-one sensation, Swedish Lisa Pettersson.
The Magical Kenya Ladies Open marks the inaugural event in a series of 39 fixtures on the Ladies European Tour 2023 calendar, the most extensive schedule ever held on the Tour.
