Red-hot Michael Karanga moves top at Kabete Open
Kiambu Golf Club's Michael Karanga follows the flight of his tee shot from 10th tee during the Kenya Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Kabete Open on September 16, 2023 at Vet Lab Sports Club.
What you need to know:
- The Kiambu-based Karanga produced a four under par 68 in the second round of the NCBA Bank sponsored tournament to claim the leadership with a total of five under par 139, two shots better than overnight leader Godfrey Nsubuga from Uganda.
Favourite Michael Karanga finally jumped to the top of the leader board, going into Sunday’s third and final round of the 2023 Kabete Open at the par 72 Vet Lab Sports Club Course.
The Kiambu-based Karanga produced a four under par 68 in the second round of the NCBA Bank sponsored tournament to claim the leadership with a total of five under par 139, two shots better than overnight leader Godfrey Nsubuga from Uganda.
And the margin between the two would have been even higher if Karanga did not drop two shots, one from each nine.
“My putting was not as perfect as I would have liked. Have missed very small putts for birdies though I will definitely go for the Kabete Open title tomorrow," said Karanga.
He started the day with a birdie at the par four-first hole, picked up six pars there after up to the eighth where he missed a footer for a par.
He dropped his second shot of the day at the 10th after over pitching the green. He however made birdies at the 12th, 14th, 15th and 16th to sign for a 68.
The Ugandan birdied four holes but against three bogeys for one under par 71 and a two rounds total of three under par 141.
“I believe I still have a good chance of taking this one home, and why not," said Nsubuga, who made birdies at the seventh, 12th, 15th at the home green (18th).
Tying for the third place eight shots behind the leader were home player Isaac Makokha and Kenya Railway Golf Club’s John Lejirmah both on 149. Makokha carded one over par 73 same as Lejirmah.
Limuru’s Dennis Maara led a group of four on six over par 150. The group included two home players Ebill Omollo and Moses Kisia, and Muthaiga’s Zubair Khan whose three over par 75 included a hole-in-one at the 223-yards par three-11th where he fired a solid seven iron.
A total of 51 players made the 23 over par 167 cut and will now battle it out for the money list in the event which marks the 19th leg in this year’s Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series.
Those who made cut included the five Ugandans and Rwanda’s Felix Dusabe, while the only lady golfer in the tournament Joyce Wanjiru from Kiambu missed the cut by one shot.
