Ngige, Ooko, Bollo tied top after first round at Nyali leg of the Safari Tour

Three golfers tied at the top of the leader board as the fourth leg of the 2021/2022 Safari Tour got underway at the par 71 Nyali Golf and Country Club in Mombasa County.

Leading the three on one under par 70 is Thika Sports Club’s Simon Ngige who made a birdie at the par five‐fifth then bogeyed the par three‐fifth soon after, to level the front nine.

And despite picking a bogey on the par five‐11th and at the 15th, three birdies on the 13th and 14th and a late one at the long par five‐17th saw him finish on one under par on the back nine.

Golf Park’s Erick Ooko and Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s Kenneth Bollo also had a good round of golf to card one under par 70 to tie top.

Ooko three putted the third, but birdied the fifth and sixth at the front ninth. He, however, threw away a good chance of finishing on his own at the top with a lower score when he bogeyed the 10th and 12th with his only birdie at the back nine coming at the long par four‐16th.

"I missed a number of birdie opportunities because of the tough pin position in some of the holes which made them difficult to approach. I am happy though in finishing the first round on an under par score," said Ooko.

Bollo, meanwhile, birdied three holes at the front nine but a bogey as early as at the second hole saw him finish on two under at the opening nine. He then parred eight holes at the back nine and one bogey at the wind‐against 12th hole.

The three lead by one shot from a group of four players who are on level par 71 with one of them, Njuguna Ngugi a former resident professional at Nyali.

Ngugi fired a low 33 at the back nine that included birdies at the13th and 17th, having dropped three shots at the outward nine where he made only a single birdie at the fifth hole, to tie with Malawi’s Paul Chidale, Ronald Rugumayo of Uganda, and Muthaiga’s Mutahi Kibugu with five other players finishing just a shot shy of level par.

The second round which will determine the top 20 who will eventually chase the cash prizes and some points towards the “Road to Magical Kenya Open” promises to be close battle.

Last week’s winner at Great Rift Valley, David Wakhu was, meanwhile, not far away from the leading group having shot two over par 73.  

The Leader board

Simon Ngige 70

Kenneth Bollo 70

Erick Ooko 70

Mutahi Kibugu 71

Ronald Rugumayo(UG) 71

Paul Chidale(Maw) 71

Njuguna Ngugi 71