Safari Tour Golf Series: Greg Snow leads in Karen after Round one

Greg Snow [Courtesy]

Muthaiga Golf Club’s Greg Snow, shot an impressive round of 2-under par 69 at the Karen Country Club leg of the Safari Tour golf series to take the lead after Round One of the tournament.

The recently crowned Safari Tour overall winner, got off to a slow start, picking up a bogey on the par-4, third before recovering with back to back birdies on the par-4, fifth and the par-5, sixth for a turning score of 34, having held par on the other five holes. He looked to be on course for a score of 34, after hitting a birdie at the 12th, before he dropping a shot at the par-4 18th, for a back nine score of 35. 

Speaking after the round, Snow expressed his satisfaction with his overall performance in the round and looked forward to more of the same in the next rounds.

“I am pleased with my performance today, the course is in great shape and quite challenging with the narrow greens. I am now working towards keeping this form going in the coming rounds,” he said.

Great Rift Golf Club's Justus Madoya and amateur Daniel Nduva returned impressive scores of one under par on the round to tie for second place. Madoya birdied the Par-3, second and par-5 sixth before bogeying at the par-4, third and par-3 fourth in the first nine, he played an impressive round of 35 in the back nine to return an overall score of one under par, 70. Nduva started off with a bogey at the first but quickly settled with four birdies in the first nine to return a score of 32, the best of the round. Further bogeys at the tenth, fifteenth and sixteenth holes saw him return a back nine score of 38 for a round total of one under par, 70.

The trio of David Opati, Simon Ngige and Anil Shah returned scores of par, 71 to tie for third, Mumias Sugar's Dismas Indiza had a round to forget, returning a score of 3-over par, 74 placing him T16, one shot behind Windsor's Rizwan Charania (T13). 

Meanwhile, Golf Park’s Joseph Karanja led his team to victory at the PRO-AM event of the Karen Country Club leg of the Safari Tour Golf Series yesterday after returning a score of 39 to combine with his team’s best amateur score of 44 for a total of 83. 

His team’s efforts were enough to fend off the challenge posed by the team of Muthaiga Golf Club’s Kopan Timbe who returned a score of 38 on the day to combine with his team’s best amateur score to finish second. Meanwhile, Golf Park’s Tony Omuli returned a decent score of 36 to combine with his team’s best amateur score to finish in third.

In the subsequent members event, Vet Lab’s Alice Kariuki (handicap 22) emerged overall winner with 39 points; while Karen Country Club’s Eunice Maranya (handicap 16) was overall runner-up with 38 points. Karen Country Club’s James Ngotho (handicap 07) emerged third overall with 38 points.

The tournament, which attracted a field of over 170 golfers, was played under the course layout that will be adopted at the 2019 Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship, giving local pros an opportunity to acclimatize to the course ahead of the tournament.