Kenya’s John Wangai and Erick Ooko fought hard to share third place in a strong four-way battle with 3-under par 69 gross each with South Africans Haydn Porteous and Travis Procter after round one.
This is in the ongoing SportsBiz Africa golf championship, the fifth leg of the Sunshine Development Tour-East Africa Swing at the Kigali Golf Resort & Villas in Rwanda on Wednesday.
Wangai, who teed off 10th, opened his round with steady pars before hitting a birdie on the 17th, though he dropped a shot on the 18th.
On the back nine, he surged forward with three consecutive birdies on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd holes, adding further birdies on the 6th and 9th, though bogeys on the 7th and 8th kept him just shy of the leaders.
Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp
“The day was very good. I started calm and steady, just rolling in pars until hole 17 when I made my first birdie. I dropped a bogey on 18 but brushed it off, knowing I had nine more holes to play. On the back nine, I got going with three straight birdies on the first three holes, and that gave me a real push to finish at 3-under. I’m happy with my start and ready for round two,” said Wangai.
Ooko and Procter each combined consistent birdies with safe play to also finish on 3-under par and remain within touching distance of the leaders.
Porteous, a two-time DP World Tour champion and winner of the 2015 Kenya Open, carded birdies on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th, offset by a single bogey on the 5th. He added another birdie on the 13th and parred his way home to keep himself firmly in contention.
“I drove quite nicely and hit a lot of greens. Unfortunately, the one green I missed ended up being a bogey, but overall, I’m pretty happy with how I played. I probably would have liked to have made more putts, but that’s golf, tomorrow is another opportunity,” said Porteous after his round.
Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera and Zimbabwe’s Visitor Mapwanya shared the day’s lead with 4-under par 68 gross.
Nsanzuwera, playing under the weight of home expectations, produced a composed round of 4-under par 68. He opened with a birdie on the first hole but immediately dropped a shot on the second.
A brilliant eagle on the par-4 third hole settled his nerves, and further birdies on the 6th and 9th saw him make the turn in 33.
On the back nine, Nsanzuwera added a birdie on the 12th but gave one back on the 13th before closing with a run of steady pars.
Reflecting on his round, Nsanzuwera said: “It was tough today. From the start I was under pressure because I’m playing at home and expectations are high. But the eagle on the third hole really calmed me down, and from there I managed to stay focused and finish strong. Playing at home comes with pressure, but I tried to prepare myself the best way possible.”
Mapwanya matched Nsanzuwera’s score with his own 4-under par 68. He started strongly with birdies on the 1st, 6th, 8th, and 9th to also reach the turn in 33. On the back nine, he added a birdie on the 13th but dropped a shot on the 16th to close his round tied for the lead.
Tied for seventh place on 2-under par 70 gross were Kenya’s Daniel Nduva, Rwanda’s Ernest Ndayisenga, and Uganda’s Ronald Rugumayo, all keeping themselves in the mix heading into the second round.