Snow on course for Muthaiga Safari Tour crown

Muthaiga Golf Club's Greg Snow tees off from the 14th tee during the third round of the fifth leg of the Safari Tour golf series at Muthaiga Golf Club on January 15, 2019. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

What you need to know:

  • Snow, currently in a class of his own, set off for the day with two quick birdies at the first and second holes
  • At the back nine, Snow picked up birdies on the 10th, 12th, 13th and 17th for a bogey-free four under up 31 to make his excellent 64
  • Windsor’s David Opati had a tough day, going through the first nine without a single birdie

Home player Greg Snow is set for a fourth victory in the Safari Tour golf series after a brilliant seven under par 64 in the third round of the Sh3 million fifth leg at the par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club course on Tuesday.

Snow, currently in a class of his own, set off for the day with two quick birdies at the first and second holes. The series leader then went three under at the fifth par three, dropped a shot at the stroke index one-eighth, but recovered it at the ninth to cross to the back nine on three under 33.

At the back nine, Snow picked up birdies on the 10th, 12th, 13th and 17th for a bogey-free four under up 31 to make his excellent 64 which saw him stay at the top with a three rounds total of 12 under par 201. He starts Wednesday’s final round with an 11 shots lead from Windsor’s David Opati who had a tough day, going through the first nine without a single birdie.

Windsor Golf and Country Club's David Opati tees off from the 14th tee during the third round of the fifth leg of the Safari Tour golf series at Muthaiga Golf Club on January 15, 2019. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

To make it worse, Opati dropped three shots at the par four-first, fifth and at the eighth. At the back nine Opati managed to roll in birdies on the 10th, and 15th with a bogey in between, to close day three on two over par 73 for one under par 212.

He has a lot of work to do in the final round to clinch the top prize of Sh450,000 and so is Thika Sports Club’s Simon Ngige who posted one over par 72 for 215 in third place and just a shot better than Windsor’s Riz Charania who also carded 72 for 216.

Long-hitting Dismas Indiza tied for fifth place with Nyanza Golf Club’s David Odhiambo on 217. Indiza, who is yet to win any of the Safari Tour events, shot level par 71 his second this week while Odhiambo who started the event well with a 69 in round, dropped several shots for four over par 75.

Of the four amateurs who made the second round cut, Windsor’s Akshay Chandaria remained on the leaderboard with a three rounds total of 222, tying with Limuru pro John Kagiri and a shot better than Muthaiga resident pro Nelson Mudanyi. Chandaria posted 75 in the third round where Kagiri carded a poor 77, with Mudanyi firing two under par 69 to return to the top 10 after a disastrous 85 during the second round.

A total of 27 made the cut and will be off from 7.30am in Wednesday’s final round.

The leaderboard;

201 Greg Snow 67, 70, 64

212 David Opati 73, 66, 73

215 Simon Ngige 72, 71, 72

216 Riz Charania 71, 73, 72

217 Dismas Indiza 71, 75, 71

217 David Odhiambo 69, 73, 75

219 David Wakhu 74, 77, 68

222 Akshay Chandaria (A) 72, 75, 75

222 John Kagiri 72, 73, 77

223 Nelson Mudanyi 69, 85, 69.