Indiza, Okello fail to make Kenya Open cut

Mumias' long hitter Dismas Indiza failed to replicate his performance at the final Safari Tour when he teed-off at the Karen Country Club for the Magical Kenya Open. 

At the Tour, Indiza had played four rounds of superb golfing for a tournament score of 14 under par 270 to tie with Zimbabwean Robson Chinhoi forcing a three-hole play-off that resulted on a sudden death win for the Kenyan. 

It was then baffling to see the same player carding five over par in the first round of the Open, played on the same course that had minimal changes since the Tour was played there. 

Indiza picked three bogeys and a double-bogey in the front nine with just one birdies for a 39 out and played a birdie-less back nine, dropping a shot at the 15th for 37 out and a total of 76. 

He atoned for his 'sins' dropping two shots at the par-four eighth and 18th with birdies at the par-three second, par-five sixth and par-five eleventh for one under par 70, but it was too little too late to undo the damage of his first round as he finished with a four over par 146 to miss cut. 

Zimbabwean Chinhoi also blew hot and old on both rounds, finishing the first round at four under par 67, after a bogey-less play but fell apart in round two to pick three double-bogeys all.on par-four holes and two bogeys for four over par 75 and overall par to miss cut by two shots. 

Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) captain John Wangai picked five bogeys and three birdies on each round for a combined four over par 146, missing a chance to play alongside his younger brother Samuel Njoroge on the last two rounds at the Open. Njoroge made cut at two under par 140. 

Golf Park’s Mathew Omondi finished with a total of +13, same as Riz Charania. Jastas Madoya who made cut in the last edition of the Open in 2019 was not so luck this time as he carded two over par and four over par in round one and two respectively for six over par overall. 

Meanwhile, Jacob Okello, the only Kenyan to have come close to winning at the Open back in 1998 when he lost in a playoff failed to pick a single birdie in his second round, dropping five shots for five over par 76. He had played for one over par 72 in the first round and had a chance to make cut had he played a better second round.

For 37-year old David Wakhu, a bad start at the Open cost him a chance to enter the money bracket as he played an impressive four under par 67 in the second round but his efforts were not enough, having played for four over par in the first round. 

Bogeys at the par-four tenth and 18th spoiled the party even further for Wakhu who played a good front nine, without dropping any shots and even picked an eagle at the ninth on top of his four birdies, and looked well on his way to joining Njoroge in making cut. 

On his part junior golfer Taimur Malik who played an impressive two under par 69 on the first round was unable to keep the momentum going, dropping five shots in the second round for three over par 74 and total of one over par 143. 

Other amateurs had it tough on the course as Jay Sandhu finished with a total five over par, Isaac Makokha on +10, Victor Joseph from Tanzania on +11, Paul Muchangi +12 and Adel Balala +14.