Home pro Mutahi Kibugu grabs one shot lead at Muthaiga
Mutahi Kibugu follows the progress of his tee shot from 17th tee during third round of the fifth leg of 2023/24 Safari Tour at par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club on January 30, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Kibugu, who was the only Kenyan player to make cut in the 2023 Magical Kenya Open at Muthaiga, picked up a birdie at the fourth and parred the rest
- Kasoma eagled the last hole (18th) having birdied the 15th in addition to two more birdies from the front nine, for three under par 68
- Because of the Muthaiga club-nite, the final round of the Safari Tour gets underway from 7.30am with the leading group set to tee off at 8.30am
Home professional Mutahi Kibugu Tuesday grabbed a one shot lead going into Wednesday’s final round of the fifth leg of 2023/24 Safari Tour at par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club course.
Kibugu, who was the only Kenyan player to make cut in the 2023 Magical Kenya Open at Muthaiga, picked up a birdie at the fourth and parred the rest. He however dropped his first shot of the day at the par five-10th where he drove straight to the right round, hit a bad second shot, then missed a par narrowly.
He then overshot the green to the bunker at the 12th to pick up his second bogey of the day. However, he made good the remaining six holes where he birdied the 15th, parred the 16th then made two successive birdies at the 17th and 18th for the day’s two under par 69, and a three rounds total of four under par 209.
“The course generally has been prepared well obviously because of the forthcoming Magical Kenya Open, but the rough is bad news! All you need is to go out of the fairway and you are done,’’ said Kibugu.
For the final round on Wednesday, Kibugu said he was all set to battle it out with the other leading players.
“I have been in this position before, so it does not real bother me teeing off as the leader in the final round,’’ added Kibugu who is likely to be in the flight of Namibia’s Paulino Kasoma and Justus Madoya or with Golf Park’s Erick Ooko all of who closed the day on three under par 210.
Kasoma eagled the last hole (18th) having birdied the 15th in addition to two more birdies from the front nine, for three under par 68. The Great Rift Valley Golf Resort’s Madoya made six birdies, three in each nine, but only managed two under par 69, curtesy of three bogeys at the opening nine and one at the 14th.
On the other hand, Ooko dropped only one shot at the eighth, but managed to sink only three birdies for the day.
All those will have to watch out for the group behind them led by “Mzee wa Kazi’’ Dismas Indiza who made a super eagle at the 18th to cancel two bogeys at the 14th and 16th to lead a group of three, including another Muthaiga player Greg Snow and Railway’s Samuel Njoroge on two under par 211.
Because of the Muthaiga club-nite, the final round of the Safari Tour gets underway from 7.30am with the leading group set to tee off at 8.30am.
The winner of the event being sponsored by ABSA, will take home Sh150,000 plus some points towards the “Road to Magical Kenya Open’’ set for the same venue from February 22 to 25.
The leaderboard
Mutahi Kibugu 68, 72, 69= 209
Paulino Kasoma(Nam) 70, 72, 68= 210
Justus Madoya 68, 73, 69= 210
Erick Ooko 68, 73, 69= 210
Dismas Indiza 72, 70, 69= 211
Samuel Njoroge 70, 70, 71= 211
Greg Snow 68, 74, 69= 211.
