This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
South Africa’s Thimba wins Karen Masters ¶
On July 1, 2019, South African golfer Toto Thimba made history by becoming the first black golfer to win the coveted blue jacket at the KCB Karen Masters. Thimba emerged victorious by beating Portuguese golfer Stephen Ferreira by three strokes.
Thimba's impressive performance earned him a Sh2.4mn winner’s purse and a tournament record of 26 under par 262. The Mamelodi-based Silver Lakes Country Club professional played a stellar game, with back-to-back birdies on holes 15, 16, and 17, which sealed his victory.
Ferreira, who led the tournament in the first three days, had a disappointing last round, carding a 69, which handed Thimba the title. Ferreira, however, had a great tournament, shooting 23 under in four days and carding the event’s best round on Thursday.
Greg Snow was the leading Kenyan, finishing joint seventh position on 11 under par 277. David Wakhu was the second-best placed Kenyan, finishing T27 with a score of 6 under par 282.
