Snow grabs Kenya Open slot with Windsor win

Muthaiga Golf Club’s Greg Snow assured himself of a place in this year’s Kenya Open, after clinching his second victory in the six-event Kenya Open qualifying series at Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club on Thursday.

Snow, who won the third leg at his home course in Muthaiga last month, fired a back-to-back level par 72 for a four rounds total of four under par 284, leaving home pro Riz Charania nine shots behind.

During the final round, Snow made four birdies over the third and fourth, and seventh and 12th. He however dropped shots at the first hole and two others at the fifth and eighth and the fourth one at the start of the back nine. “It was good today, the course changed after the Wednesday night showers while the wind was also less, but generally my game is solid at the moment’’ said Snow.

This was his best performance so far in the series, as he won at Muthaiga on three over par 287. And with the final leg of the series taking place at Muthaiga from March 12, Snow is just a wedge away from the starting list of the 2018 Kenya Open set for March 22 to 25.

He missed the cut in last year’s Open after rounds of 73 and 72.

Back at Windsor on Thursday, it was one of the awful days for home pro Charania who bogeyed five holes at the front nine and as if that was not enough, he dropped one more at the 15th though it was the triple bogey seven at the par four-16th which denied him a possible victory.

WAKHU IMPRESSES

On the other hand, Thika’s Simon Ngige, who has already qualified for the Open, shot one over par 73 to finish in third place in a round which he picked three birdies, one single and a double bogey at the second and fourth holes for an all rounds total of seven over par 295.

The day’s best rounds came from Royal Nairobi’s David Wakhu and the long-hitting Dismas Indiza.

Wakhu fired one under par 71 for eight over par 296 and Indiza carded two under par to finish on 297.

The final round leader board at Windsor:

284 Greg Snow 75, 65, 72, 72

293 Rizwan Charania 71, 68, 74, 80

295 Simon Ngige 80, 77, 65, 73

296 David Wakhu 78, 75, 72, 71

297 Dismas Indiza 77, 77, 73, 70

299 Jacob Okello 72, 78, 69, 80

301 David Opati 73, 71, 80, 77

303 Nelson Simwa 84, 74, 73, 72

303 Njuguna Ngugi 73, 77, 75, 78

304 John Wangai 83, 71, 74, 76

304 Brian Njoroge 78, 71, 77, 78

304 Justus Madoya 80, 74, 72, 78