Simon Ngige lines up a putt at the Karen Country Club on Round One of the 2019 Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship
NAIVASHA, Kenya, Nov 25 – Thika Golf Club’s Simon Ngige carded a round of one-under par, 70, taking his overall score to par, 142, to see him move to the summit of the leaderboard, after the second round of play at the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort.
Ngige who started the day in tied in fifth place, three strokes behind the overnight leader, took full advantage of the slow start by the players in front of him to make his move to the top of the standings.
He started his round on steady form, holding par through his opening three holes, before dropping his first shot at the par-4, fourth, he would soon recover with a birdie on the par-5, sixth, following it up with another at the par-4, ninth for a turning score of one under par, 35.
A further birdie followed by a bogey on the fourteenth and fifteenth respectively were the only notable scores in the back nine, as he held par through the other holes for a round score of 1-under par, 70.
The overnight leader Frank Matilo, had a round to forget as he carded a score of 8-over par, 79, to send him stumbling down the standings to eighth, tied with Mohit Mediratta, Amateur Simon Njogu and Vet Lab’s Edwin Asuza, who started the round in second place.
Andrew Oche Odoh of Nigeria, who also started the day in fifth, returned a score of par, to move him into second place one shot behind Ngige on one over par, 143, tied with PGK captain, CJ Wangai who returned a score of one over par, 72.
Odoh dropped one shot in the opening nine holes, following this up with a birdie in the back nine for a round score of par. On his part CJ Wangai played, three bogeys and two birdies, for a one over par score.
It was generally high scoring round, with the CUT eventually set at 11-over par, which saw a total of 24 players, comprised of 22 professionals and 2 amateurs, booking their tickets to play in the third and fourth rounds.
