Kenya’s sensational junior amateur golfer Njoroge Kibugu produced an excellent eight under par 64 going into Wednesday’s final round of the fourth leg of the 2022/23 Safari Tour Golf series, to grab a four shots lead from Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi at the par 72 Sigona Golf Club course on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old Kibugu, who returned home in December for the Christmas holidays from his studies in the United States of America, got off well picking up three birdies at the first, fourth and seventh holes at the front nine where he dropped his only shot of the day at the fifth.
He then picked up birdies from the 14th to the 18th, some of them being tap-in birdies, for his 64, which is a new amateur course record, breaking another Muthaiga golfer Taimur Malik’s record of seven under par 65, a score which earned him the season-opener of the 2021 Safari Tour.
“Every part of my game has been well, particularly this week but moreso today’s round at the back nine where I was able to make five birdies,’’ said Kibugu whose record score of 64 gave him a three rounds total of six under par 210, to equal the club’s professional record set by local pro John Wangai few years ago.
It was however a bad day for the Zimbabwean player Chinhoi, usually a very steady player, who picked up a total of five bogeys at the front nine having birdied the second hole. The back nine was however better as Chinhoi made birdies at the 10th, 14th and 15th, dropped a shot at the 16th but finished with two straight pars for two over par 74 and a total of two under par 214.
“Chipping and putting was my undoing today, but that is golf for you, sometimes it is good sometimes it is bad,’’ said Chinhoi who will be in the company of Njoroge Kibugu and Mutahi Kibugu who shot level par 72 for a five-way tie with Isaiah Otuke of Vet Lab, Edwin Mudanyi also from Vet Lab, home pro John Wangai and Golf Park’s Eric Ooko who did not have a smooth day either.
Playing in the leading group of Chinhoi and Greg Snow, Ooko picked up a birdie at the first hole to go three under, but bogeyed the seventh and eighth and four more bogeys at the back nine’s13th, 14th, 16th and the last hole, with only a birdie at the 15th for a four over par 76 to drop to third place.
Greg Snow had his worst day in the tournament where he picked up two bogeys at the first nine against one birdie, then dropped six shots at the back nine including a double bogey six at the 18th where he drove to the right bush and had to go back to the tee, for the day’s 78 which saw him drop to eighth place on six over par 220.
Teeing off for the surviving 21 players in Wednesday’s final round is set for 7.30am for the final chase of the top pay cheque of Sh300,000.
The leaderboard;
Njoroge Kibugu (a) 73, 73, 64= 210
Robson Chinhoi (Zim) 70,70, 74= 214
Mutahi Kibugu 72, 74, 72= 218
Edwin Mudanyi 72, 73, 73= 218
John Wangai 72, 73, 73=218
Isaiah Otuke 73, 70, 75= 218
Erick Ooko 72, 70, 76= 218
Greg Snow 71, 71, 78= 220.
