Home player Ooko takes three-shot lead

Home player Erick Ooko increased his lead to three shots going into Thursday’s final round of the Kenya Open qualifier fourth leg at the par 72 Royal Nairobi Golf Club course.

Ooko picked up birdies on the second, seventh, 10th and 13th with bogeys on the fourth and ninth holes for the day’s two under par 70 to take his total scores to four under par 212 and with a chance of winning his home leg.

It was, however, a disastrous day for Muthaiga’s Nelson Mudanyi who pushed himself out of the running after a poor 10 over par 82 that left him tying for the 10th place with Railway’s Alfred Nandwa, Ganeev Giddie of Muthaiga, Anil Shah of Royal and amateur Dennis Saikwa.

On the other hand, Nyali Golf and Country Club’s resident professional Njuguna Ngugi made his way to second place on one under under par 215 after firing so far the lowest round of the tournament, a three under par 69.

And he was going for a lower round if he had not double bogey the par four-11th and a single bogey late at the 18th.

He had earlier collected birdies on the first and fifth holes of the outward nine and at the 10th, 13th, 14th and 15th holes.

Meanwhile, Muthaiga’s Nicholas Rokoine was on one under par total of 217 and shot better than Mathew Omondi of Vet Lab, after a level par 72 in the third round.

Rokoine, birdied the third, ninth and 11th against bogeys at the first, and the last two holes of the back nine.  Omondo shot one under par 71 with birdies coming on the back nine’s 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th having dropped shots earlier at the sixth and over the 16th and the home green.

It will be a hot game between Ngugi Njuguna, Nicholas Rokoine and Erick Ooko at 8.40am in today’s seeded final round draw.

THIRD ROUND

212 Erick Ooko 71, 71, 70

215 Ngugi Njuguna 75, 71, 69

217 Nicholas Rokoine 74, 71, 72

218 Mathew Omondi 74, 73, 71

220 David Wakhu 76, 72, 72

221 David Opati 71, 74, 76

224 Jeff Kubwa 76, 74, 74

224 Jacob Okello 76, 73, 75

224 Ken Bollo 72, 75, 77