Maara Clinches Winston Churchill Cup in Tight Final Round Battle

Dennis Maara, the national team captain, won the 2023 Winston Churchill Cup by one shot after beating Kenya Amateur Stroke Play Champion John Lejirmah and national junior champion Elvis Muigua at the par 72 Thika Sports Club course.

 It was a closely fought battle between Maara and Lejirmah, with Maara clinching the title despite dropping a shot after hitting the green on three and two putts for the day’s four-over-par 76 and a total of six over par 222.

 Maara started the day with a birdie at the first hole but bogeyed the fifth, seventh, and eighth, before ending the day with another birdie at the 16th.

Maara, who will be playing in the remaining events before the Africa Region Four Championship in June, expressed his excitement about his victory. “It’s been very tough for me as I have always been up there but without victory since the Kenya Amateur Match Play title last June,” he said.

Lejirmah, who won the 2022 Golfer of the Year championship, missed a two-footer putt at the 18th to also bogey the hole and finish the day on four over par 76 and a total of seven over par 223. “I did not putt well particularly at the back nine where I should have picked up a couple of birdies,” said Lejirmah.

Muigua, who tied for second place with Lejirmah, expressed his happiness for playing better at Thika than at Muthaiga. Muigua birdied the second, sixth, and 14th but three-putted the fourth, 12th, and 18th to close the day on two over par 74 and seven over par 223.

Michael Karanga, the winner of the first three events of the season, struggled with three-putting, making a total of seven bogeys, and finished the day tied for sixth place with Uganda’s Andrew Ssekibejja and Kiambu’s Steve Kiaro on 11 over par 227.

The top 15 players out of 56 who made the second-round cut made it to the money list. Maara earned Sh63,700 while Lejirmah and Muigua took home Sh31,850 each.