By Ulrike Krieger
She has probably had the most unusual start to her career. Actually, everything revolves around running in her country. But Naomi Wafula (25), a former orphan from Kenya, wants to become a golf pro.
Naomi is still an amateur (from the village of Kitale) and plays at the Amundi German Masters (until Sunday at the Golf and Country Club on Lake Seddin) by invitation. But soon she would like to switch to the professional camp.
And that is no accident. It is sponsored by the German organizer U.COM. Tournament Director Dirk Glittenberg (54) to BILD: “We’ve been supporting Naomi for three years now. First with golf clothes and clubs, now with travel and training. She is very talented, the best in Kenya. So that she can play three tournaments here in Europe, we are financing her trips with 20,000 euros.”
Naomi: “I’m very grateful for the great support and already a big fan of Germany. I hope I can get even better and prove it to everyone. My goal is also the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.”
Naomi talking to BILD after her first round at the Amundi German Masters Photo: Ulrike Krieger
At the age of 6, Naomi comes to live with her Aunt Rose at Vipingo Ridge, a golf resort near Mombasa, almost 1000 kilometers from her home village. Rose Naliaka (67 today), was Kenya’s first professional golfer in 2005 and has an academy for children there.
She teaches girls from the humblest of backgrounds, the slums of the big cities, how to play golf. Today her protégé Naomi is known throughout the country, a sports star in Africa, like the famous runners. “In 2008 I went to the golf course with Aunt Rose for the first time and watched her play. I saw all the girls practicing and Rose won awards and that inspired me,” explains Naomi.
Glittenberg: “Golf is becoming more and more popular in Kenya, nature, sport and safari are wonderfully combined there. That’s why there are even wild animals on Naomi’s home ground. Among other baby giraffes. The animals are also without parents and are cared for there in the same way as the girls.“
Naomi explains: “When I’m not training, I work at my golf club as a secretary or in the pro shop to make a living. As an amateur, I’m not yet allowed to earn any prize money.”
And why didn’t she become a famous runner? Naomi laughs: “I’m too lazy for that.“