RENATO PARATORE LEADS HIS TEAM TO MAGICAL KENYA OPEN PRO-AM VICTORY
By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS
Italy’s Renato Paratore from the Castelgandolfo Golf Club, led his team to victory at the 2019 Magical Kenya Open PRO-AM tournament that was held at the Karen Country Club on Wedensday. His team returned a combined score of 92 to carry the day.
His team’s efforts were enough to fend off the challenge posed by the team led by France’s Clément Sordet which returned a combined score of 88 on the day, to finish second. Their tally was just enough to leave a two-point lead ahead of the team led by South Africa’s Haydn Porteous, which included the Kenya Open Golf Limited chairman Peter Kanyago, which returned a total of 86, to finish third.
Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort’s Justus Madoya was the best placed Kenyan, leading his team which included Kenya Golf Union’s Vice chairman Anthony Murage for a combined score of 83, to place them 10th. They were tied on points, and separated on count back, with the teams led by Uganda’s Philip Kasozi, the 2016 Kenya Open winner Sebastian Soderberg and the 2018/19 Safari Tour winner Greg Snow, whose team finished in 13th place.
The tournament, which attracted a field of over 126 golfers, was played under the course layout that will be played during the 2019 Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship, giving the pros an opportunity to acclimatize to the course ahead of the tournament tomorrow.
Attention now shifts to the main tournament, which gets underway tomorrow at 7:20am with 144 players including 14 Kenya Pros, and six elite amateurs, taking to the course. Tickets for the tournament can be purchased via the website www.kenyaopen.golf.