Sparkling snow: Greg puts smile on locals’ faces as Spaniard Alvaro Velasco remains hot favourite for the Kenya Open title

BY ALBATROSS

Spaniard Alvaro Velasco steadied his ship at two under par 70 and a two-day cumulative total of eight under par 136 to remain at the top of the Barclays Kenya Open leaderboard. 

But Kenyans could finally afford a smile on account of Greg Snow’s performance in day two of The Barclays Kenya Open.

The Royal Nairobi youthful professional played an impressive four under par 68 to climb to shared fourth place on the leaderboard.  With a two-day aggregate score of six under par 138, Snow was no longer fighting for making the cut, but winning The Barclays Kenya Open. 

Snow played a great round of golf on the quick Karen greens. 

The winner of The Barclays Kenya Open last year, Jordi Garcia Pinto played five under for the day to share the fourth position, on the leaderboard, with Greg Snow.

It must be a terrible disappointment for Jordi Garcia Pinto to be ‘defending’ his tittle at The Barclays Kenya Open as this is a European Tour challenge event  that the rising professional players use as a stepping stone to the main European Tour and, eventually, onto the PGA Tour in the USA.  So winning the event is important to them as they would normally go on to pick a playing card for the main tour.

The European Challenge Tour team, led by Paul Carrigill, The Challenge Tour Tournament Director, has set the Karen greens at a pace that has tormented not just the locals but the entire field.

The Karen Country Club Management did a great job preparing the course for this tournament with guidance from the European Tour, but the actual playing conditions are determined pretty close to the actual tournament.  Hence the locals have no advantage whatsoever.  They may even claim a disadvantage as they do not find exposure to such conditions in any local setting.

The day had a sour note with a leading Kenyan amateur golfer suffering a disqualification for carrying 15 clubs in his golf bag.  The Rules allow a maximum of 14 clubs in the bag during a round of golf. Incidentally, there is no penalty for carrying fewer than fourteen clubs.