By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort’s Justus Madoya stormed to the Entebbe Open leaderboard with a 6-under par 136 score after 36 holes; establishing a three-shot lead with two rounds left to play.

He shot a superb round of 66 courtesy of six birdies and a lone bogey on his card to set the perfect charge for the outright bragging rights at the tournament. On the first nine, he got off to consecutive birdies at the par-5 first and the par-3 second before holing another birdie at the par-3, sixth; with his only dropped shot of the round coming at the par-4 ninth for a total of 33. On the back nine, he played bogey-free, holing birdies at the par-4, 14^th and the par-5 15^th before sinking his last birdie of the round at the par-4 17^th for a back nine total of 33.

He went three shots clear of Ugandan Herman Mutaawe and yesterday’s leader, Robson Chinhoi from Zimbabwe, who finished the round tied in second with 3-under par 139 scores. Mutaawe shot a round of 69 courtesy of birdies at the par-3 sixth, par-5 11^th, par-3 12^th, par-5, 15^th and the par-5 18^th. He however dropped shots at the par-3 second, the par-3 16^th and the par-4 17^th.

On his part, Chinhoi had a difficult day on course; holing a lone birdie on the first nine and dropping five shots – and failing to make a single birdie – on the back nine for a score of 4-over par 75 for the day.

On his part, C.J. Wangai ended the round in fourth courtesy of a 1-under par 70 round that took his total for the tournament to 1-under par 141. He had a decent outing – carding 33 on the first nine courtesy of birdies at the par-5 first, par-4. Sixth and the par-5 seventh and a lone bogey at the par-3 sixth. On the back nine, he dropped shots at the par-5 11^th, par-3 16^th and the par-5 18^th; but birdies at the par-4 14^th and the par-4 17^th saw him card a back nine total of 37.

Wangai finished the round one shot clear of Kopan Timbe, who ended yesterday’s round as the leading Kenyan at the tournament. Timbe had a tough day on the course; holing a solo birdie on the first nine at the par-5 seventh but sinking four bogeys for a first nine total of 38. On the back nine, he carded an identical score after he dropped four shots and holed only two birdies to finish the day with a level-par 142 score after the two rounds.

Meanwhile, 23 players, among them 11 Kenyans, made the Cut – which was today set at 6-over par – to play in the remaining final rounds. Justus Madoya, C.J. Wangai, Kopan Timbe, David Wakhu, Johnnie-Walker-Sponsored duo of Greg Snow and Dismas Indiza, Erick Ooko, Tony Omuli, Hesbon Kutwa, Kenneth Bollo and Edwin Mudanyi are the 11 Kenyans who made the cut to play in the tournament’s remaining 36 holes.

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