Snow, Ngige take early lead in Diani Masters
Greg Snow follows the progress of his shot during the Barclays Kenya Open at Muthaiga golf club on March 23, 2017. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |
What you need to know:
- Snow picked up his first birdie at the par five-second hole, dropped two shots at the third and fifth but recovered them at the back nine where he picked up birdies at the 10th, 14th and 16th.
- Indiza rolled in a total of five birdies in the first nine against a bogey at the ninth, but made a double and a single bogey en-route to birdie-finish at the 18th.
Muthaiga’s Greg Snow made a total of five birdies against two bogeys for a first round three under par 69 to tie with Thika Sports Club’s Simon Ngige as the hunt for the Sh1 million prize fund in the 2017 Diani Masters got under way at the par 72 Leisure Lodge Golf Resort on Wednesday.
Snow picked up his first birdie at the par five-second hole, dropped two shots at the third and fifth but recovered them at the back nine where he picked up birdies at the 10th, 14th and 16th.
Ngige on the other hand birdied the fourth and fifth, dropped one at the stroke index one sixth, but made a birdie at the seventh. The back nine was not an easy one as Ngige bogeyed the 14th and 15th but made a good finish with a back-to-back birdies at the 17th and 18th to also close the day on 69, leaving the long hitting Dismas Indiza two shots behind on one under par 71.
FIVE BIRDIES
Indiza rolled in a total of five birdies in the first nine against a bogey at the ninth, but made a double and a single bogey en-route to birdie-finish at the 18th.
Closing the first round on level par 72 was Kopan Timbe while Tony Omuli from the Golf Park was on one over par 73 and just a shot better than Sigona’s John Wangai.
Eldoret’s Boniface Simwa shot two over par 75 to also wind up on the leader board. Then Jacob Okello led a group of five others on four over par 76. They included Tanzania’s Hassan Kadio, a past winner of the event but as an amateur, while also on 76 were Anil Shah, veteran pro John Kisia, Hesbon Kutwa and Jeff Kubwa.
The second round, which will also decide the top 20 players to make the final cut, gets under way today. The qualifiers will be joined by amateurs on Friday and Saturday.
