Trio share lead at Safari Tour

Muthaiga Golf Club’s Nelson Mudanyi on Monday produced a free flowing seven under par 65, and join round one leader Greg Snow, as well as Vet Lab’s Mathew Omondi at the top, going into Tuesday’s third round of the Safari Tour seventh leg at the Thika Greens Golf Resort.

Mudanyi had set himself to play 18 pars, but in the process he created many birdies chances, where he was able to sink at least seven of them for his brilliant round, for a two rounds total of four under 140.

He will now begin the hunt for a share of the one million shillings purse in the company of Snow and Omondi in the third round.

“My target was to make 18 pars in today’s round to assure myself of the cut, but in the process I saw some birdie chances and I grabbed them. My game has been very good though I have been lacking patience and the right attitude, while my putting has also been wanting because of the putter I had which I eventually had to change it," said Mudanyi, who said his approach henceforth is to try and hit as many fairways as possible.

He began his birdie collection from the first hole, a birdie that was followed by others on the fourth and fifth. Then at the back nine, Mudanyi picked more birdies on the 13th, 14th, 16th and 17th for a low score of four under par 32.

Of the other two leaders, Snow carded one over par to also wind up with 140, while Mathew Omondi fired his second 70 to also close day two on four under par 140.

The Great Rift Valley Resort’s Justus Madoya dropped to third place on three under par 141 after playing a level par 72. He is still very much in the hunt for the title, which will be his second if he wins at Thika Greens, having picked up the Entebbe Open last year.

And just two shots off the three leaders is Nigeria’s Andrew Odoh, who fired his second 71 for two under par 142. A total of 21 players with eight over par and better made it to the last two rounds set for Tuesday and Wednesday.

However, two times winner in the on-going 2019/2020 Safari Tour series, Dismas Indiza, Rohit Mediratta, Sujan Shah, John Karichu, veteran Jacob Okello and Uganda’s Philip Kasozi were among the big names who missed the cut, and will now have to wait for the eighth leg at Muthaiga Golf Club next weekend.

Indiza, who started with four over par 76 in the first round, posted five over 77, his worst performance in recent years. Karichu, Hesbon Kutwa and Okello, who started with 75, played even worse, with Okello posting 84, while Kutwa carded 83.

Also missing the cut were the two amateurs Naomi Wafula and Paul Muchangi, who carded 80 and 79 respectively.

A total of 46 players have turned up at the Thika Greens, including some players from Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda.

The 11 event series is being sponsored by Magical Kenya and Absa Group formerly Barclays Bank and the top eight players at the end of the series in February will earn tickets to the European Tour sanctioned Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club from March 12 to 15.