WELL OUT: Kenya's Greg Snow chips the ball during the second round of the Kenya Open event at Muthaiga Golf Club.

By JOHN NJUE

Nicholas Rokoine and Greg Snow carried Kenyan’s flag high as the finished the second round of the Barclay Bank Kenya Open Golf Championships second round within striking range of the leaders at the Muthaiga Golf Club after playing a round of five under par 137 after two rounds.
Snow who has been on good form in the recent weeks that saw him win the second leg of the KCB East Africa Golf Tour and the Jamii Telecom Masters at the same venue, improved on his day one performance of two under par 69 to make the cut and remain in contention for the top prize as he just lies four shots behind the leader.
“I’m absolutely delighted with the way I’ve played over the first two days. I came here with high expectations, as I knew I was playing well and I obviously know the course well. But you still have to go out there and do the business, so I couldn’t be happier with how it’s gone so far. It was a great experience for me to play with Marc Warren and Daniel Vansik on the first two days, because they’re both great guys and great players.
“They’ve won four European Tour titles between them, so playing with guys of that experience and quality can only improve my game. I had a good chat with them on the way round, and I learned a lot. I didn’t expect to outscore them, so that gives me a lot of confidence for the weekend,” said Snow.
He picked a shot on the par four hole four, but bogeyed the next hole, a par five fifth hole for a score of 36 in the first nine. In the second nine, Snow picked four birdies and a single bogey for a score of 32.
“If I can keep playing the way I have for the first two days, there’s no reason why I can’t finish in the top ten, which would be a great result. My Mum and Dad will be following me again, so hopefully I can keep it going and make them proud of me.”
Ali Kimani who was the only Kenyan player to make the cut last year, as he surprisingly topped the leader board after two rounds, found it tough this time as he bowed out of the competition after a disappointing 12 over par 154
Meanwhile, Tyrone Mordt returned to finish his opening round of the Barclays Kenya Open this morning, and promptly added a further birdie to the six he notched on the rain-affected first day to climb to the top of the leaderboard.
The South African passed overnight leader Chris Lloyd of England courtesy of a birdie at his closing hole, the par four ninth, to sign for a seven under par round of 64.
The 28 year old from Johannesburg, who finished in a tie for eighth place at the 2009 Alfred Dunhill Championship on The European Tour, then swiftly refuelled before embarking on his second round at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi, Kenya.
He said: “I started yesterday very nicely with two birdies, which got me going in the right direction straight away. My iron play was very good all day – most of my birdie putts were from less than ten feet – and it was good to get another one on the board when I came back this morning. The plan now is to get a bit of food inside me and then get back out there, and hopefully I can pick up a few more shots.
“As I’ve only got a conditional card this year which will get me into about seven or eight events max, I’ve really got to make the most of my playing opportunities when they do come along. I’ve been playing mainly on the Sunshine Tour back home, but I’d really love to get onto the Challenge Tour and then hopefully onto The European Tour one day.”
Niall Kearney was another early riser, and the Irishman completed his four remaining holes in level par to complete a flawless display.
This week Kearney was awarded a €15,000 grant by the Team Golf Ireland Trust, and he fully justified the panel’s decision with a round of 66 which got off to the best possible start with an eagle at his first hole, the par five tenth.
The 2009 Walker Cup player said: “This morning was just steady golf, but yesterday I played very nicely. It could’ve been even better because I fell like a left a few shots out there, but then golfers always say that! I played poorly here on my first visit to Kenya last year, so it was nice to make amends this time. The course is playing lovely, and I’m looking forward to getting out there again.” airmaxgeschaft airmaxgeschaft

SHAPING UP: Foreign golfers practice putting at the Muthaiga Golf Club ahead of the Open tee off

By CORRESPONDENT

Two-time European Tour champion Marc Warren of Scotland will make his first Challenge Tour appearance since winning the Rankings in 2005 at this week’s Barclays Kenya Open, an event which also marks Englishman Benn Barham’s return to competitive action following life-saving surgery.

Warren took the Challenge Tour by storm six years ago, winning the Ireland Ryder Cup Challenge and the Rolex Trophy and adding a further three top five finishes to top the Rankings with earnings of €103,577.

Instant success followed on The European Tour in 2006, when he won the Scandinavian Masters before adding the 2007 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and, in partnership with Colin Montgomerie, the Omega Mission Hills World Cup to his bulging trophy cabinet.

But since then the Glasgow resident, who celebrates his 30^th birthday this Friday, has found life rather tougher on The European Tour, culminating in him losing his card last year after finishing 124^th in The Race to Dubai.

Warren will now attempt to rebuild his career on the Challenge Tour which, following visits to India and Colombia at the start of the season, visits its third different Continent this week before the European season starts in earnest with the Allianz Challenge de France at the start of May.

Barham missed those first two events as he continued his recovery from surgery after a tumour had been detected on his right kidney, but the 35 year old is relishing his return to Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi, Kenya, a course where he has enjoyed great success in the past, having finished in a tie for tenth place last year and fourth in 2002.

He said: “I’m obviously going to be a bit nervous on the first tee in Kenya, because it’s almost like I’m starting out again. But I know the course well and it’s a tournament I’ve enjoyed playing in the past, so it’s a great week to be making my comeback. Obviously I’ll have to manage my expectations, but I’m determined to enjoy it because I feel like I’ve been given a second chance, at life and also at my career.”

The €190,000 event, which is celebrating its 43^rd edition but its first with Barclays as title sponsors, traditionally attracts a strong field, and this week’s tournament is no different.

Following his victory at the Abierto Internacional Cope Antioquia, current Rankings leader Joaquin Estevez of Argentina is bidding to become the first player to win back-to-back Challenge Tour titles since former Barclays Kenya Open champion Iain Pyman of England achieved the feat in 2007.

With both climate and course conditions similar to those found in South America, Argentinians have enjoyed considerable success since the event joined the Challenge Tour Schedule in 1990, with Jorge Berendt (1997), Ricardo Gonzalez (1998) and Daniel Vancsik (2005) all adding their names to a roll call of past champions which includes three Major winners: Spain’s Seve Ballesteros (1978), Wales’ Ian Woosnam (1986) and South African Trevor Immelman (2000).

Vancsik, a winner of two European Tour and three Challenge Tour titles, is thus hoping history can repeat itself, as the last time he won the event he ended the season in ninth place in the Rankings.

Other players plotting their return to the top tier are young Englishman Sam Hutsby, who is bidding to recapture some of the form which saw him hailed as a star in the making after finishing second behind his compatriot Simon Khan at the 2009 Qualifying School Final Stage.

His friend and fellow stablemate Tommy Fleetwood will also be looking to build on the brilliant potential he showed last season, when he recorded two runner-up finishes – including one as an amateur – in just six Challenge Tour appearances.

Of the home contingent, Ali Kimani is again expected to pose the biggest threat, having led at the midway stage 12 months ago courtesy of a stunning round of 65 on the second day, before fading over the weekend to finish in a tie for 24^th place.

Kimani, who coaches Kenya’s national team, returns to the magnificent Muthaiga Golf Club, on the outskirts of the capital city of Nairobi, bidding to create history by becoming the first home player to win the event. nike thea schwarz nike thea schwarz