By Robert Mutasi 
Nathan Tororei topped the leaderboard at the Road to Somabay World Cup qualifiers at the Eldoret Club on Thursday after posting 40 Stableford points.
Tororei finished ahead of Sylivia Chelagat, who also posted 40 points to finish second after countback separated the two performances.
In Division A, Faith Chemutai won with 39 points ahead of Mercy Karoney, who also had 39 points. In Division B, Hellen Yego claimed victory with 39 points ahead of Cyrus Kataron on 38 points.
The four qualifiers will now join winners from previous regional events as they continue their journey toward the Road to SomaBay Grand Finale.
The Somabay World Cup is scheduled for Oct. 12-17 at the Cascades Golf Resort, Spa and Thalasso in Somabay, Egypt, on the Red Sea coast.
The Eldoret qualifier is part of a national series aimed at selecting Kenyan amateur golfers for the international event. With the Eldoret leg complete, the Road to SomaBay Kenya Series now moves to its next event at Royal Nairobi Golf Club.
Tournament director Collins Were said the competition is about more than golf.
“The Road to SomaBay is more than a golf tournament. It is a platform that is discovering talent, creating opportunities for amateur golfers and building stronger sporting links between Kenya and Egypt,” Were said.
He added that the depth of talent across the country has been evident in every qualifying event.
“Every qualifying event demonstrates the tremendous depth of golf talent across the country, and Eldoret has once again raised the standard. We congratulate all the qualifiers and thank CIB Bank for partnering with us to make this vision a reality,” Were said.
Commercial International Bank Kenya CEO Titus Mwithiga said the tournament aligns with the bank’s goal of strengthening ties between Kenya and Egypt.
“At CIB Bank, our roots in Egypt give us a unique opportunity to strengthen connections between Kenya and one of Africa’s leading golf and tourism destinations, SomaBay,” Mwithiga said. “The Road to SomaBay is more than a golf tournament — it is a platform that promotes sporting excellence, tourism, business relationships and people-to-people connections between our two countries.”
The qualifiers are a collaboration between MichezoNet and CIB, with the overall objective of leveraging sport as a catalyst for talent development, tourism promotion, international partnerships and economic collaboration between Kenya and Egypt.
Organizers said the series has attracted strong participation across counties and is expected to grow as the grand finale approaches.
Eldoret Leo