It is do-or -die for home player Justus Madoya as the field of 25 players tackle the tight par 71 Great Rift Valley Golf Resort in Saturday’s final round of the 2021 Safari Tour sixth leg.
Usually a very consistent player, Madoya made five single bogeys and one double bogey, which translated into a four over par 75 and a three rounds total of one over par 214.
He missed many birdie chances at the front nine, where he only birdied the second and sixth with bogeys at the seventh and ninth, where his approach shot from the rough to the water and was forced take a penalty drop.
“I went to the practice green before teeing off and that really affected my putting as the practise green apparently was fast than the greens on the course and that made leave my putts short.
But not to worry, I will try and get a better score tomorrow," said Madoya, whose six shots lead was reduced to only one by Uganda’s Abbey Bagalana, who fired one under par 70 for a total of two over par 215.
Playing in the chasing group, Bagalana made an early birdie at the second hole, but dropped a shot at the par four-seventh to level the front nine.
At the back nine, Bagalana picked up a birdie at the 11th and at the 14th, but dropped a shot soon after for the day’s 70, which made him move to second place and will be in the last flight with the leader Madoya and Muthaiga’s Greg Snow, who fought his way to third place with a level par 71 for a three rounds aggregate of four over par 217, and still within a reach of the title if he is able to fire a low round Saturday.
Snow was on his way to a possible low round, but a birdie at the 16th and a double at the par four-18th cancelled the two birdies he had made at the 10th and 14th. Earlier, Snow, who says he would like to win the remaining three events at Nyali, Muthaiga and Karen, had eagled the only par five at the front nine(sixth) after dropping a shot at the second hole.
“I had a few bad take offs from the tee, but otherwise I have been playing since the Uganda Open. All the same will see how it goes tomorrow, though my game plan is to win atleast the remaining three tournaments as I prepare for the Magical Kenya Open," he sais.
It was a great day for Zimbabwean Robson Chinhoi, who shot five under par 66 to move from 18th place, to tie sixth with Thika Sports Club’s Simon Ngige on six over par 219.
The Uganda Open champion Chinhoi birdied the fourth and ninth at the outward nine and at the 10th, 11th and at the 14th for his bogey-free round.
“I have not really been feeling that competitive this week probably because of the fact that there was no strong challenge like in Uganda. That made me relax abit and perhaps caused my bad round of 82, which is my worse since the 2017 Karen Masters where I shot 83," said Chinhoi, who now joins Simon Ngige and David Wakhu in the chasing group.
Justus Madoya 67, 72, 75= 214
Abbey Bagalana(Ug) 71, 74, 70= 215
Greg Snow 74, 72, 71= 217
Robson Chinhoi(Zim) 71, 82, 66= 219
Simon Ngige 76, 69, 74= 219
David Wakhu 74, 73, 74= 221
Edwin Mudanyi 77, 72, 73= 222
Deo Akope(Ug) 72, 76, 74= 222
