Kenyan team miss cut in continental golf championship

Kenneth Bollo follows the progress of his tee shot from the 14th tee during 57th Edition of the Sigona Bowl Championship on January 16, 2016 at Sigona Golf Club. Kenya’s four-man team of Bollo, Alfred Nandwa, John Kariuki and Edwin Mudanyi failed to make the projected cut of 14 over par in the inaugural Africa Amateur Strokeplay golf championship at the Leopard Creek Country Club in South Africa. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

What you need to know:

  • The best placed Kenyan was Royal Nairobi’s Kenneth Bollo who was two shots behind the cut after firing five over par 77 for a 54-hole total of 16 over par 232.
  • Bollo, the only Kenyan to play below 80 in all rounds, needed to play level par in the third round to assure himself of the top 65 and ties who will proceed into today’s final round where the remaining players will now go for the individual and team titles.
  • He birdied the third hole of the outward nine after dropping a shot at the second and one more late in the nine, though it was his double-bogey seven at the 18th following two single bogeys at the 13th and 17th which threw him out of the tournament.
  • The Kenyans blamed distance for their poor performance.

Kenya’s four-man team of Kenneth Bollo, Alfred Nandwa, John Kariuki and Edwin Mudanyi failed to make the projected cut of 14 over par in the inaugural Africa Amateur Strokeplay golf championship at the Leopard Creek Country Club in South Africa.

The best placed Kenyan was Royal Nairobi’s Kenneth Bollo who was two shots behind the cut after firing five over par 77 for a 54-hole total of 16 over par 232.

Bollo, the only Kenyan to play below 80 in all rounds, needed to play level par in the third round to assure himself of the top 65 and ties who will proceed into today’s final round where the remaining players will now go for the individual and team titles.

He birdied the third hole of the outward nine after dropping a shot at the second and one more late in the nine, though it was his double-bogey seven at the 18th following two single bogeys at the 13th and 17th which threw him out of the tournament.

Of the others, Edwin Mudanyi who won the qualifying event with an impressive five under par here at home, shot four over par 76 for a total of 27 over par 243 and a shot better than Alfred Nandwa shot six over par 78 for 244.

DISTANCE BLAMED

The Kenyans blamed distance for their poor performance.

“It is difficult to know which is the correct club to pick due to the strong wind and in the absence of a caddie’’ said Nandwa.

The fourth player John Kariuki also made an improvement of four over par 76 but it came rather late as his 30 over par was well below the field.

South Africa Kenyan based Mohit Mediratta who entered as an individual entry, returned an 85 to finish on 26 over par 242.

Meanwhile round one leader South Africa’s Albert Venter was back at the top of the leaderboard with 10 under par and with five holes to play.

He was sharing the lead with Scotland’s Jamie Savage who had also five holes to play while England’s Jamie Bower was chasing the two leaders on nine under par and five holes still to be played.

The event attracted players from 10 different countries from Africa, Europe and India.

The Kenyan team was led by national team coach Brian Njoroge who is also the Kenya Golf Union (KGU) development officer.