Trophy goes south: South African Jake Roos crowned Kenya Open champion as tourney ends

By THE ALBATROSS

Barclays Kenya Open Golf tournament winner Jake Roos (left), receives his prize from President Uhuru Kenyatta at Karen County Club, yesterday. [PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO/standard] BARCLAYS KENYA OPEN 2014 THE LEADERBOARD 09-03-2014 NAME  COUNTRY  SCORE 1.     Jake Roos  RSA    -10 T2.  Lasse Jensen  Denmark   -9 T2.  Adrien Bernadet  France    -9 T2.  Pedro Oriol  Spain    -9 T5.  Stephen Brown  England   -7 T5.  Dodge Kemmer  USA    -7 T5.  Thomas Linard  France    -7 T5.  Pontus Widegren   Sweden   -7 T5.  Danie Van Tonder  RSA    -7 T10. Bernd Ritthammer  Germany  -6 T10. Greg Snow  Kenya    -6 T10. Oliver Bekker  RSA    -6 T13. Dismas Indiza  Kenya    -5

South African Jake Roos of the Centurion Country Club played class golf to take away both the winner’s cheque and the trophy.

He finished on ten under par, 278, for the tournament to claim the win by a stroke from Lasse Jensen, Adrien Bernadet and Pedro Oriol, who all finished at nine under, 279.

Roos started off in the last game of the day at 12.27hrs in the company of the Spaniard Pedro Oriol. They were both at eight under par.

So when Roos finished his final round at two under par 70, and a tournament total of 10 under par, the job was completed and the Barclays Kenya Open Trophy, 2014 was fast on its way to South Africa.

The first prize this year was set at Euro 200,000.

The second position was shared by the Dane Lasse Jensen, the Frenchman Adrein Bernadet and the Spaniard Pedro Oriol.

The Kenyan contingent comprising of Greg Snow and Dismas Indiza played in the same team and teed off in Game 30 at 11.51am.

There were many comments from the sidelines on the combination of this team.  Some felt that it was not proper for the only two Kenyans remaining in the  tournament to be drawn together.

European challenge

That may be so but this is a European Challenge Tour event and the rules on how draws are made were finalised a long time ago. And they are followed.

In this case, Snow’s name was the last one among those who ended the third round at seven under par; and there seven of them!  Dismas Indiza’s name was the first among those who ended the third day at six under par, and there were three of them. 

Eight under par

Since there were three tied at eight under par, on the top of the leaderboard, when the names were picked in two’s, from the top, the two Kenyan’s ended up in the same team.  For the person making this seeded draw, he does not even look at the names.  He looks at the scores!

And that is how Karen Country Club ended up with a team that looked like what somebody described as a political rally.  The Kenyan throng that followed Game 30 was loud and supportive of their heros.   

While many had hoped that this was the year to have a Kenyan professional golfer lift the trophy and have it remain here at home after releasing it to other nations on 46 previous occasions, it was not to be.

But there were moments of exhilaration, such as when Snow started climbing towards the top of the leaderboard.  And when they both sat for makeable birdies on the sixth green, many hoped the moment of reckoning was at hand. But those were only fleeting moments of temporary joy.

The die had been cast and Snow had a round of one over par for a tournament total of six under par, 282 and tied for the 10th position.

Indiza also played one over par for a tournament total of five under par, 283 to end up tied for position thirteen.

The presentation was conducted at the eighteenth green by President Uhuru Kenyatta.