Nyali’s Shah looks back at Ladies Open for inspiration
Nyali Golf and Country Club’s lady professional golfer, Bhavi Shah - the only lady pro golfer from Kenya to feature at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open presented by M-Pesa has said her participation at the tournament has inspired her to improve her game to enhance her competitive edge.
Bhavi, who finished her challenge at the tournament in 98th position with a score of 23-over par 167 after two rounds, said she relished the opportunity of having played a Ladies European Tour event, adding that it was a great experience to interact and learn from some of the top lady golfers from across the world.
“I have learnt that I need to work on my competitive edge because it has been a few years since I competed. It has been two-and-a-half years since I played on a proper event, (and even though) I have been playing at the men’s events, it is not the same thing playing against your own companions,” she said.
She added: “It is a really great opportunity especially because we have never had any lady professional events in the country, so I think this is really good. It feels great.
The biggest take out for me is having had a chance to play on a Ladies European Tour event. Aside from the LPGA, this is the second biggest tour in the world for women.
So, to have had a chance just to play on that with some of the girls who have been playing it for five to six years was really amazing.”
Speaking about her time on the course, she said the weather played a significant role in her performance, adding that the heat made it difficult for her to produce the perfect result.
“It has been tough as it is very hot out here. I think I overdid it in my practice because I was so anxious since I wanted to play some good golf. So, after the first day, I felt like I had a bit of heat exhaustion.
So, you have to stay hydrated out here and probably have a lot of electrolytes as well, which I didn’t do. Next time I will be better prepared for that,” she said.
She said there is need to nurture the young talent in the country to ensure that more Kenyan lady golfers are playing more competitively in the future.
