Windsor’s Rizwan Charania in action at a Safari Tour event. He finished round two of the 2019 Uganda Open as the leading Kenyan.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Windsor Golf and Country Club’s Pro Golfer, Rizwan Charania, finished round two of the Uganda Open as the leading Kenyan after carding a round of 67; to take his total for the tournament to 2-under par 142. This saw him end the day tied in fourth place, four shots off the overnight leader.

Shrugging off a tough outing yesterday, that saw him end the day with a round of 75, he shot an impressive round today whose only dropped shots came at the par-4, third where he recorded a double-bogey.

But the rest of his scorecard was a thing of beauty.

He sunk four birdies on the first nine at the par-3, fourth; the par-4, sixth; the par-5, eighth and the par-4 ninth for a back-nine total of 34. On the back nine, he played bogey free, sinking birdies at the par-4, 12^th; the par-4, 14^th and the par-5, 17^th for a back nine total of 33.

On is part, Mohit Mediratta finished tied in seventh place after returning a decent round of 69 to take his total for the tournament to 1-over par 145; leaving him the second-highest ranked Kenyan at the end of play today.

Just like Charania, Mohit recovered from a difficult first round, where he returned a round of 76, to drop only two shots across the day. On the first nine, he carded a total of 34 courtesy of birdies at the par-4, fifth; par-4, sixth and the par-5, eighth and a solo bogey at the par-4, ninth. On the back nine, he carded a total of 35 courtesy of birdies at the par-5, 13^th and the par-4, 18^th with the only dropped shot coming at the par-4, 16^th.

Thika Golf Club’s Simon Ngige was the third-highest Kenyan after round two having played a decent round of level-par 72 to take his total for the event to 2-over par 146. His was a round of mixed fortunes.

On the first nine, he carded a total of 39 courtesy of bogeys at the par-4, first; par-4, fifth; par-3, seventh and the par-4, ninth and a lone birdie at the par-4, sixth. On the back nine, he had a better feel of the course, sinking birdies at the par-4, 14^th; par-4, 16^th; par-5, 17^th and the par-4, 18^th. He dropped a single shot on the back nine at the par-4, 10^th for a total of 33.

The three were among 13 Kenyans who made the cut to play in the last two rounds of the tournament. Other Kenyans who made the cut include Edwin Mudanyi, Erick Ooko. Justus Madoya, the Johnnie-Walker-Sponsored duo of Greg Snow and Dismas Indiza, Kopan Timbe, Njuguna Ngugi, CJ Wangai, Sujan Shah and Matthew Wahome – who made his golf professional career at the Nyali leg of the 2019/2020 Safari Tour Golf Series.

The Cut was set at 8-over par, capturing the top 30 players and ties.

Meanwhile, Zambian Professional player, Madalitso Muthiya, finished round two of the tournament on top of the leaderboard with an overall score of 6-under par 138; three shots clear of his nearest challengers, Tongoona Charamba from Zimbambwe and Irvin Thato from South Africa, who both tied for second with 3-under par 141 scores.

The Safari Tour Golf Series, which is sponsored by both Magical Kenya and the Absa Group, is this year featuring as part of the Uganda Open Golf Championship for the first time.

Safari Tour Calendar 2019/20:

Event 1 Nyali Golf and Country Club 24th – 28th August 2019 (DONE)

Event 2 Uganda Open (Lake Victoria Serena) 10th – 14th September 2019

Event 3 Royal Nairobi Golf Club 12th – 16th October 2019

Event 4 Entebbe Open (Entebbe Golf Club) 30th Oct – 2nd Nov 2019

Event 5 Rwanda Open (Kigali Golf Club) 6th – 9th November 2019

Event 6 Great Rift Valley Golf Club 23rd – 27th November 2019

Event 7 Muthaiga Golf Club 14th – 18th December 2019

Event 8 Thika Greens 4th – 8th January 2020

Event 9 Sigona Golf Club 25th – 29th January 2020

Event 10 Kitante Open (Uganda Golf Club) 12th – 15th February 2020

Event 11 Karen Country Club 22nd -26th February 2020

Event 12 Tanzania Open (Kiligolf) TBC

2019 Magical Kenya Open, Karen Country Club, 12^th – 15^th March 2020.

Muthaiga Golf Club’s Greg Snow poses with the trophy after winning the first leg of the 2019-20 Safari tour hosted at the Nyali Golf & Country Club today.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Muthaiga Golf Club’s pro golfer, Greg Snow, played a decent round of 73 on the final day of the Nyali Golf and Country Club leg of the Safari Tour Golf Series, to card an overall score of 3-over par 287; seeing him emerge winner of the first event of the 2019/2020 calendar.

Snow, who got off to a shaky start at the tournament by carding a round of 74, held his nerve and found groove through the rounds to claim the top spot after today’s final round.

He started off the final round by carding a total of 38 on the first nine courtesy of dropped shots at the par-4, second; the par-3, sixth and the par-4, ninth with the only birdie coming at the par-5t, fifth. On the back nine, he carded a total of 35 having dropped shots at the par-3, 10^th; the par-4, 14^th; and the par-4, 16^th and having made a birdie at the par-5, 11^th and an eagle-three at the 17^th.

Speaking after the round, Snow said he was delighted with the win adding that the was happy with the recovery work that he put into the second and third rounds which lifted his scores.

“I am happy with the win here as it has been a very tough outing, not just for me, but for everyone who was involved over the last four days. I am particularly pleased with my performance over the last two rounds as they ensured that I increased my chances of winning the event. Today’s round was challenging, but I am glad that I only went over by two shots – which wasn’t a terrible outcome in the end.”

He added: “Focus now shifts to the next Safari Tour event in Uganda, where I am hoping to challenge for the top honours there as well.”

With this win, Snow now has a total of four Safari Tour victories; and having taken top prize money in five occasions.

On his part, Nyali’s pro golfer, Njuguna Ngugi, who impressed in the third round to post the lowest score of the tournament, struggled on the final day to card a round of 79; a 13-shot turnaround from yesterday’s score of 66. This took his overall for the tournament to 7-over par 291, which was enough to see him secure second spot – underpinning the difficulty of the course and the conditions that met the players.

On the first nine, he carded a total of 41 courtesy of a bogey at the first, a double bogey at the second and bogeys at the sixth, seventh and ninth holes. On the back nine, he carded a total of 38 with bogeys at the 10^th, 12^th and the 17^th holes.  His second-place finish is however his highest finish yet at a Safari Tour event.

Last year’s Safari Tour winner in Nyali, David Wakhu, ended his campaign at the tournament with a round of 75, taking his total for the tournament to 8-over par 292; which was enough to secure third place. Wakhu, who also led his Pro-Am team to victory on Saturday, had a decent outing at the event, having not carded higher than 75 in any round; and posting the joint lowest score of 69 on round two.

For their efforts, the trio took home Kshs 105,000, Kshs 70,000 and Kshs 56,000 in prizemoney respectively; but failed to secure bonus prize money as none finished the tournament with an under-par score. In addition to his third-place finish prize money, Wakhu also walks away with KShs 30,000 being winnings for leading his team to Pro-Am victory at the tournament.

Nyali’s elite amateur, Daniel Nduva, impressed to finish tied in fourth place, alongside Pro Erick Obura, to win the tournament’s Silver Salver having been the only amateur to make the cut.

The 2019/2020 Safari Tour Golf Series season continues at the Uganda Open from the 10^th to the 14^th of September this year.

Safari Tour Calendar 2019/20:

Event 1 Nyali Golf and Country Club 24th – 28th August 2019 (DONE)

Event 2 Uganda Open (Lake Victoria Serena) 10th – 14th September 2019

Event 3 Royal Nairobi Golf Club 12th – 16th October 2019

Event 4 Entebbe Open (Entebbe Golf Club) 30th Oct – 2nd Nov 2019

Event 5 Rwanda Open (Kigali Golf Club) 6th – 9th November 2019

Event 6 Great Rift Valley Golf Club 23rd – 27th November 2019

Event 7 Muthaiga Golf Club 14th – 18th December 2019

Event 8 Thika Greens 4th – 8th January 2020

Event 9 Sigona Golf Club 25th – 29th January 2020

Event 10 Kitante Open (Uganda Golf Club) 12th – 15th February 2020

Event 11 Karen Country Club 22nd -26th February 2020

Event 12 Tanzania Open (Kiligolf) TBC

2019 Magical Kenya Open, Karen Country Club, 12^th – 15^th March 2020.