Safari Tour series enters penultimate stage

The hunt for points towards the 2021 Magical Kenya Open to be held at Karen Country Club from March 18 enters its home stretch with the staging of the eighth leg at the par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club course.

A big field of 64 players including six amateurs are drawn for the first round, that tees off on Sunday, February 7, from 11.30am. Golfers will need to card 85 gross and better in order for them to proceed to the second round where there will be the usual cut. 

Muthaiga resident golfer Greg Snow, who won his home leg with an impressive score of 13 under par last season, is likely to give his competitors a run for their money including the impressive Robson.

The on-form Zimbabwean professional,Chinhoi, has proved to be the biggest challenger to the local pros and all eyes will be on him for the next four days.

Chinhoi from Royal Harare Golf Club in Zimbabwe claimed his first victory in the second leg of the series at Royal Nairobi Golf Club, before clinching the Uganda Open title which is also part of the Kenya-based Safari Tour series.

During last weekend’s Seventh leg at the tough playing Nyali course, Chinhoi started off with a two over par 73 which left him three shots off the leader Simon Ngige of Thika Sports Club. 

However, the Zimbabwean managed two good rounds of 69 and 71 to join Ngige and Golf Park’s David Wakhu at the top for the closing round where Ngige and Wakhu faded away after poor rounds of 77 and 78 respectively, leaving

Chinhoi to claim the title with one over par 285.

Whilst the Thika based Ngige and round two leader Wakhu dropped to fourth and fifth places on 289 and 294, two other Kenyans Dismas Indiza and Greg Snow fired their way to joint second after brilliant rounds of five under par 66 and three under 68. 

Nigeria’s Andrew Odoh who missed cut at Nyali is still capable of playing well at Muthaiga where the course is currently in an excellent condition with the greens likely to be quicker than it was at Nyali.

Meanwhile joining the tour for the first time, is Zambia’s Dayne Moore, a regular Sunshine Tour player while other new faces are Ghana’s Issah Adams, Malawi’s Visitor Mapwanya and Victor Kachepatsonga who will also try and earn some points towards the Kenya Open with two events to play. 

The six amateurs playing at Muthaiga include Kenya Amateur Open Strokeplay champion Jay Sandhu who has already qualified for the Open and will be using the remaining events as part of his build up for the March event. 

Other amateurs going for the amateur title will be home players Kushil Nathwani and Daniel Kiragu, Nyali junior Zayan Din, and Nakuru-based junior Wasim Ali who played in the Great Rift Valley Golf Resort leg.