Duo grab lead at Nyali Open

What you need to know:

  • A total of 60 players turned up for the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series grand finale being sponsored this year by Contech Ciontainer Technology, Samsung and Shikara Limited.
  • The second round of the 54-hole event was set for Saturday afternoon, while the third round whose round will be seeded, will take place on Sunday.

Home player Daniel Nduva made three birdies in the opening nine and one at the back nine for a one under par 70 to share the first round lead of the 2019 Nyali Open with Golf Park’s William Odera at the Nyali Golf and Country Club course on Saturday.

The long-hitting Nduva, who is trying to re-capture the title he lost to Kenya Railway Golf Club’s Samuel Njoroge last year, took off well firing a birdie at the par five-first hole. He, however, dropped two shots at the second and fourth, recovered one at the fifth and eighth.

He started the back nine by dropping a shot at the par three-10th, but managed to level the nine with a birdie at the 12th.

Odera on the other hand, birdied the third, dropped a shot at the eighth and followed it with a double bogey at the ninth for two over par front nine.

Odera, however, managed to pull himself together at the back nine, where he made a birdie at the 14th then holed in two back-to-back birdies at the last two homes to also close round one with one under par 70.

The two leaders were just a shot better than defending champion Samuel Njoroge playing off plus three handicap and Nyali’s John Timbe, who birdied the eighth and 12th having bogeyed the second and fifth.

Njoroge bogeyed the third, sixth and ninth with birdies coming on the first, fifth and 12th. Youngster Taimur Malik of Muthaiga was two shots off the leader and one shot behind Njoroge and Timbe after firing one over par 72.

A total of 60 players turned up for the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series grand finale being sponsored this year by Contech Ciontainer Technology, Samsung and Shikara Limited.

The second round of the 54-hole event was set for Saturday afternoon, while the third round whose round will be seeded, will take place on Sunday.