Golf

Tanzania golf professional Fadhil Nkya has been forced to retire from the ongoing KCB Tour championship at the Arusha Gymkhana Club following a severe backache.

Nkya, who already qualified for the penultimate and final rounds after the gruelling two qualifier rounds, experienced agony when he shot a ball from a deep rough at the par five 17th during the second round played on Thursday.

“I thought it was just a mild pain but as I headed home to rest later in the evening things changed into serious pain until now,” responded Nkya who was briefly hospitalised.

According to him, he has been advised not to play golf for the next three weeks before regaining fitness.

“The doctor said some ligaments were torn during swinging to cause a serious impact inside my back,” said Nkya.

The heavily built Nkya bemoaned the sickness as he prepared to charge during yesterday’s third round but the odds were against his favour.

Nkya’s absence has left the host nation with only Olais Mollel in the final round today.

Mollel is just four shots away from the tail and 15 more adrift of the tournament leader Kenyan Greg Snow.

Otherwise, Thika Sports Club's Simon Ngige yesterday fired an impressive four under par 68 to keep overnight leader leader Greg Snow under pressure in the KCB Bank Tanzania Open.

The Thika professional trails Snow by just a shot going into today’s final round.

Ngige, the defending champion of the series, hit two quick eagles including an eagle two at the par four-third, bogeyed the seventh hole but wound up the front nine with a birdie at the ninth for outward four under par 32.

But as usual, the tenth hole has not been his favourite as out of the three rounds, Ngige only parred it once.

However, the bogey did not discourage him as he went on to birdie the 15th to level the nine and a 68 for the day which gave him a 54-hole total of ten under par 206 totals going into today's final round of the one million Kenya shillings, the fourth in the series and the second of the four regional tournaments.

The leader Snow shot one under par 71, a round which included five bogeys, an eagle and four birdies.

''I hit a number of bad shots, but I am happy to remain at the top though I know it will be a tough race in the final round,'' said Snow.

Mumias Sugar sponsored Dismas Indiza also shot 68 for the day when he birdied the par five second and the par four-third, picked up one more birdie at the 139-yard par three seventh then eagled the 570-yard eighth, the course's longest par five, for a low 32.

During the back nine Indiza birdied the 12th but dropped two back to back shots from the 14th to level for his impressive 68 which brought him back to the title fray with a total of 207, barely two shots off the leader.

Defending champion Deo Akope, the only Ugandan in the tournament, also made a move to the top with a 68 for 210.

''I have to play six under par tomorrow to see how it goes,'' he said after his third round.

Thika's Sullivan Muthugia, Ali Kimani, and David Wakhu tied for fifth on 211.

Muthugia shot one under par 71 same as Kimani while Wakhu posted two under par 70. Nakuru's Richard Ainley, who had tied Indiza in third place after the cut, shot 73 to drop to 212 same with Ganeev Giddie (70).

The pros will be joined by a field of over 100 amateurs who include Muthaiga Golf Club members to take on Arusha Gymkhana in their annual Sarakikya Cup on Sunday.

The overall winner of the pros will take home Sh 192,000 plus 20 points towards the KCB East Africa Golf Tour's Order of Merit.