BEAUTIES: Models pose next to the 18th green at the final day of Kenya Open Golf Championships. England's Seve Benson won the title on a sudden death play off with Lasse Jensen.

By ENOCK NGOME

England’s Seve Benson claimed the third Challenge Tour title of his career after he saw off Denmark’s Lasse Jensen in a play-off for the Barclays Kenya Open.

Benson birdied the 18th in regulation play to tie with Jensen on ten under par at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi, and he did the same again at the first extra hole while Jensen could only manage a bogey.

Three off the lead at the start of the final round, the 25 year old stormed to a five under par 66 with birdies at the second, fourth, seventh, tenth, 11th and 18th, recovering well from a bogey at the first.

Joint overnight leader Jensen thought he had done enough for victory as he stepped on to the 18th tee, believing that he just needed a par to win, but his two under par 69 also left him on ten under, and when the pair went head to head, he came up short.

The victory will taste particularly sweet for Benson as he suffered a severe back injury in 2010, which curtailed his season and left him struggling for form and fitness for most of 2011. He finished 163rd in The Race to Dubai last year, but already has a return to the top in his sights after just three events on the Challenge Tour this season.

“I’m delighted,” he said. “I knew I had to shoot a good score today because I didn’t think it was likely that the leaders would be coming back towards me.

“I knew Lasse would be thinking he was still leading when he teed off the 18th and would take an iron. That makes it harder to birdie, so I was expecting a play-off.

“It’s never easy winning, but I have won twice before on the Challenge Tour and have spent the last three years playing on The European Tour, so I used all that experience to help me.

“It’s great to get a win under my belt so early in the season. Hopefully now I can push on from here and either get two more wins to go straight back to The European Tour, or I can finish in the top ten in the Rankings.”

Jensen was disappointed not to have claimed his maiden Challenge Tour title, but was happy with the way he handled the situation and can take plenty of positives from the week.

“I was in the lead all day and after my birdie at the 12th I was maybe trying to play for par, when I should have been trying to get to 11 or 12 under,” said the 27 year old. “I was playing safe, and Seve snuck up behind me.

“Of course I’m very disappointed, but I’m very happy with my performance today. I was a little nervous for the first couple of holes but then I got used to it. I played well, but someone played that bit better.

“I didn’t hear a big cheer when Seve was on the 18th, so I thought he had made par. So I took a three iron off the tee, thinking I only needed a par to win. I don’t know what would’ve happened if I’d taken a driver – who knows?

“This is still my best finish on the Challenge Tour and when I’m sitting on the plane tonight, overall I will be very happy with my week’s work. I know I can get myself into position now, and one day my time will come.”

It was another fine week for Phil Archer, who won last month’s Pacific Rubiales Colombia Classic, as the Englishman posted a best-of-the-day 65 to take a share of third place alongside South African Tyrone Ferreira.

“I nearly didn’t play because on Thursday morning my left shoulder was frozen,” said Archer. “I managed to get round in level par playing with half a swing, then I saw the physios here on Thursday night who sorted it out.

“I played with painkillers on Friday and thankfully I’ve been pain-free for the weekend. It’s great to start the season so well.”

Dismas Indiza was the highest placed Kenyan, delighting the huge home crowds – which included the president, Hon. Mwai Kibaki – with a one under par 70 to finish tied 22nd. joyaspandoraonline joyaspandoraonline

ON OFFER: A brand new Toyota Prado on offer for a hole-in-one on hole 13 at the on going Barclays Kenya Open at Muthaiga Golf Club.

By ENOCK NGOME

Denmark’s Lasse Jensen snatched the lead from compatriot Morten Madsen to take a joint leadership with Englishman Gary Lockerbie going into today’s final round of this year’s Barclays Bank Kenya Open Golf Championships at the par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club.
The duo are on eight under par 205 and carry a three shot lead into the final round that promises fireworks.
The leader of the first two rounds Madsen finished the day tied third on five under par 208 after playing a round of one over par 72.
Lockerbie played a long side Kenya’s Brian Njoroge and South Africa’s Shaun Norris, while Jensen played alongside England’s Mathew Cryer and Trent Leon of USA.
Njoroge replaced Dismas Indiza as the best placed local player, finishing the day tied fourth on four under par 209 after playing a cautious round of level par 71.
Njoroge now trails the leader with four shots and remains optimistic that anything could happen today as he plans to throw caution to the wind.
Indiza tumbled to position 22 with a single round to go, dipping 20 places from his second round second position.
Njoroge, 33, dropped a shot on the par three second hole, which has an Island green, but recovered with a birdie on the par five fourth and par four ninth for a first nine score of 35. In the second nine, he picked a shot on the par three 11th hole but dropped shots on the par four 12th and 14th for a score of 36.
Indiza will rue his day as he had a triple bogey on the par four 15th hole. He dropped two more shots and picked a single birdie to end the round on four over par 75 and a total of one under par 212.
Muthaiga’s Nicholas Rokoine continued with his recovery in the tournament after a poor start, as he finished the third round on one under par 212 after playing a round of two under par 69.
Stefan Andersen who is playing in the Open for the first time ever, also finished the day on one under after a double bogey on the par three 13th hole messed his round.
Sigona’s Ganeev Giddie ended the day on three over par 216, while Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s Anil Shah ended the third round on five over par 217.
Jensen who is ranked 47th in the Challenge Tour, bounced back after a lackluster perfoemnace in the first two rounds with a cameo performance on day three that saw him post six under par 65 for a total of eight under par 205.
On the first day, the 28 year-old player who turned professional in 2003, played two under and managed level par on the second round, but leaped to the limelight on a day that mattered and enters today’s final round as a favourite.
Jensen didn’t drop any shots yesterday, picking a birdie on the par four third, par four sixth and par four ninth for a first nine score of 33.
In the second nine, the Dutch player picked a birdie on the par five 10th, par three 13th and par five 18 for a score of 32.
For Lockerbie who is ranked 34th in the Challenge Tour, it was a day to remember as he managed a round of four under par 67 after picking six birdies and dropping two shots.
He had a birdie on the par three second hole, picked another shot on the par four sixth hole, but dropped a shot on the next par five hole seven for a first nine score of 35.
In the second nine, he started with a birdie on the par five 10th hole, dropped a single shot on the par four 12th, before recovering with birdies on the par four 14th and 15th and par five 18th for a score of 32. nike air max nike air max