David Opati in action during round three of play at the Limuru Country Club.

By AMANDA DAMARIS

David Opati fired a third round score of 3-under par 69 to climb to the top of the Safari Tour event at the Limuru Country Club today.

Opati started the day a massive six-strokes behind overnight leader Greg Snow and he wasted no time closing the gap, firing birdies on the par-5 third, the par-4 sixth the par-4 ninth and par-3 14^th. His only blemish was a lone bogey on the tough opening hole at Limuru.

Opati will enjoy a three-stroke lead going into the final round.

The story of the Safari Tour leg at Limuru however belongs to the gallant amateur golfers who have continued to impress and compete at par with the Professionals.

After the second round CUT, five amateurs made the cut; they included Michael Karanga, Edwin Mudanyi, Taimur Malik, John Karichu and Mike Kisia. Karanga, 23 years, from the Kiambu Golf Club was fourth after the second round and is now joint second after an impressive third round score of 3-under 69 for a total of 211. Mudanyi, 24 years, was sixth after round two and is now T2 after a third round score of 5-under 67 for a total of 211. Mudanyi and Karanga are only three-strokes shy of the lead going into the final round.

The young 15-year old Taimur Malik from the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club had a shaky third round and a score of 82 pushed him back to T22. However, the lessons this young golfer will take from Limuru will serve his well as he continues to pursue a career in golf.

Limuru’s elite amateur player, Karichu continued to struggle at his home course and is currently lying T14 with a score of 221. Amateur Mike Kisia is in 19^th place with a total of 228.

Snow, who led the event after two rounds, had a terrible day through his third round, finishing with a round of 7-over par 79, his worst performance on the Safari Tour season to date. Snow failed to make a single birdie through 18 holes, he had a double bogey on the challenging par-5 fourth, a hole that is dubiously know for having two doglegs! He dropped shots at the first, fifth, 14^th, 15^th and 18^th holes and with this performance he lost his six-stroke cushion and perhaps the championship.

Snow now lies in fourth place, 4-strokes behind Opati with only one round to go.

The final round of the Safari Tour leg at Limuru Country Club will now be an epic battle between the professional golfers and the elite amateur golfers.

Opati will be looking to win his first Safari Tour event, Snow will be eager to win back to back events, Indiza, who is currently in T5 position and six strokes behind will be hungry for his win whilst the two top amateurs, Mudanyi and Karanga will have nothing to lose, having proved they can play as well as the Pros.

Greg Snow in action at the Limuru Leg of the Safari Tour.

By DANIELLA APIYO

Muthaiga Golf Club’s Greg Snow returned an excellent score of 6-under par 66, the best for the second round, to take the lead of the Safari Tour leg at the Limuru Country Club on Monday.

Snow, who was the winner of the Vet Lab Leg of the Safari Tour, shot a bogey-free round, returning 8-pars on the first nine and a lone birdie on the par-4 9^th. On the back nine, he found his swing and hole an eagle on the Par-5 15^th, his second eagle on that hole so far, and a double eagle on the Par-4 17^th before closing the round with a birdie at the Par-5 18^th . Snow’s 6-under par score and his first round score of 5-under par, for a tournament total of 11-under 133 gross gives home a six stroke lead going into the third round. David Opati is second on 139 after a second round score of even par whilst Tony Omuli is third with a score of 141.

Speaking after the Round, Snow said he was pleased with his performance adding focus now shifts to the next two days in order to get the job done.

“Overall, it was a good round and I am pleased with the performance. My focus now shifts to the next two days to get the job done. The course is in great condition and I think this offers all of us an opportunity to improve on our scores,” he said.

Overnight leader Nelson Simwa from Vet Lab struggled with form to shoot 7-over Par 77 for the round to take his total for the two rounds to level Par.

Meanwhile, the Golf Park duo of David Opati and Tony Omuli shot level par each for a total of 5-under par 139 and 3-under par 141 respectively to end the round second and third respectively.

The top amateur in the competition, Kiambu Golf Club’s Michael Karanga, ended the round in fourth after shooting 2-over par 74 for a combined total of 2-under par 142 going into the final rounds. Other amateurs who made the cut include Edwin Mudanyi – 144, 15-year old Taimur Malik – 146, John Karichu – 148 and Mike Kisia – 152.

Commenting about the performance of the elite amateur players, KOGL Director Joe Wangai said it was encouraging to see the amateurs play well. “The purpose of the Safari Tour was not only to develop the Professional side of golf but also to develop our elite amateurs and our junior golfers,” he said. “The performance of all the amateurs at Limuru has been tremendous. The 15-year old junior golfer Taimur Malik gives us hope for the future.”

Malik is currently tied in 10^th place.

Other notable players for the round include Windsor Golf and Country Club’s Riz Charania who shot an impressive round to finish the day at 4-under par 68, to take his total for the two days to 1-over par 145.

A total of 25 golfers made the cut after the second round, among them five amateur golfers.

The third and fourth rounds of the Safari Tour leg at Limuru will conclude on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. A total of Sh1m will be shared by the professionals who have made the cut.