Eleven-year-old Chanelle Wangari has been touted as one of Kenya’s most promising young golfers and is currently Africa’s top-ranked junior golfer.
Earlier this year, she beat 117 other contestants in the US Kids Golf World Championship to emerge as the world number nine.
At the age of seven, Chanelle Wangari made history as the first non-handicapped Kenyan Junior to win an International event in the Africa Junior Challenge held in South Africa after having passed through the academy.
Interestingly, she had not seen anyone play except on TV sports news. Thus, she knew nothing about it. So when her sports coach at Makini Junior School, Leonard Omollo asked her to try golf, she did and fell in love with it.
“When she came to ask what sport she could play, I knew there was a champion,” says Omollo. Omollo says at first Chanelle could not even hold or swing a club, but after a few days of training it became natural for her to pick up a club and swing in the right direction.
After trying the game at school and getting hooked to it, she started asking her parents to buy her her own golf kit. “My husband and I have never played golf, let alone thought about it.
We always assumed it is a sport for the rich, then here, our daughter is insisting on golf clubs. We gave her a deaf ear and even tried to suggest other friendly sports, but she could hear none of it,” says Maureen Njambi, Chanelle’s mother. It is only until her persistence grew into nagging that Chanelle’s parents obliged and supported her through her new-found passion.
Little did they know that they were handing her what would be the blessing of her life. Chanelle started attending training regularly and her performance improved.
“We enrolled her at the Junior Golf Foundation and we were surprised to find out contrary to our expectations that playing golf is not that expensive.
We only needed to pay Sh. 1,000 for junior membership fees, which is payable per annum. The fee allows members to play golf at any of the Kenya Golf Union affiliated club at a minimum green fee of Sh. 100 countrywide,” she says.
Fast forward to 2018. Now, Wangari is the world number nine after battling 117 girls in the US Kids Golf World Championship in North Carolina from August 2 to 4.
A member of Vet Lab Sports Club here at home, the 11-year-old Wangari was a star player at the most prestigious kids golf title at the famous Pinehurst Club at Little Rock. This was Wangari’s fourth attempt for the title, having first entered the championship in 2015 then only eight years old.
She finished 40th in her category, but made the top eight the following (2016).
Last year, like in her first attempt, was not very impressive outing for her, as she managed to finish in 28th position.
The number of club, national and international events she has been playing this year, appears to have assisted her a great deal, as during this year’s championship at Pinehurst, Wangari, currently playing off handicap 11, made a tremendous progress, firing a total of 146 gross in the event reduced to two rounds because of thunderstorms and lightning.
She had started well by firing one under par in the first round which saw her tied for fourth place and only two shots off the leader.
However, going into second round, wet weather saw event organizers stop it twice.
“Playing in the last round which would have been the third was not easy as the greens were in total different condition. I did not putt well otherwise I would have made a better score,” said Wangari.
Paired with two former World champions in the last group, Wangari shot three over par 75 with two bogeys coming in on the back nine which only served to hurt her chances of being at the prize giving podium at the end of it all.
“This event real helped me to play well in my future events either here or elsewhere as my driver was good save my putting. I know what I was doing wrong and will be able to correct it, but I must say this year’s championship was a great experience,” added Wangari.
Her three over total of 146 saw her finish in ninth position out of the field of 117 players.
