•Joint Day One leader South African Louis De Jager opened a 4-stroke lead at halfway stage as the hunt for the Magical Kenya Open millions intensified yesterday at the par 71 Karen Country Club.
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Joint Day One leader South African Louis De Jager opened a 4-stroke lead at halfway stage as the hunt for the Magical Kenya Open millions intensified yesterday at the par 71 Karen Country Club.
The South African entered Round Two with a share of the lead and—in the favourable calm morning conditions —combined seven birdies with two bogeys to jump to 12 under. That saw him beat his previous best 36 hole score on the European Tour by three shots and his four-shot advantage equals the most so far this season along with Aaron Rai at the Honma Hong Kong Open, which the Englishman went on to win. Fellow overnight leader Jack Singh Brar and Spaniard Adri Arnaus were his closest rivals at eight under, a shot clear of India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, South African Justin Harding and Italian Guido Migliozzi.
Arnaus was eight shots better on the back nine than the front in an afternoon 68, while Englishman Singh Brar signed for a 70. De Jager came through the Qualifying School at the sixth attempt last season and was glad to be feeling at home both back in Africa and on the European Tour.
“I told the guys when we played a practice round on Tuesday, after the desert, that I felt at home here in Kenya, back in my continent,” he said. “You get used to the feel of the Kikuyu grass and the ball travels the same as back home in Pretoria, distance wise, so it really feels like we’re back home.
“I had to find my feet a bit at the start of the season but I’m feeling comfortable out here as this is where I belong. “I started off birdie-birdie and it got me in the right mindset for the round. I kept it going, kept it on the fairways, kept hitting the greens and made a few putts.”
Singh Brar birdied the first to move into the solo lead but then made six pars in a row as De Jager got off to a fast start of his own. The 31-year-old birdied the tenth, 11th and 13th to reach double figures, with Singh Brar making again on the eighth from three feet to be within one as he reached the turn. De Jager made a fourth birdie of the day on the 18th and when Singh Brar bogeyed the 12th, the lead was three shots.
The leader putted the second green for a first bogey of the day but put his approach to five feet on the next for an instant response. Singh Brar made another bogey on the 14th but birdied the 17th while De Jager bogeyed the fifth but hit back on the par-five sixth before taking advantage of the driveable ninth from ten feet.
Day 2 Leaderboard 1. Louis De Jager (RSA) -12 T2. Jack Singh Brar (England) -8 T2. Adri Rnaus (Spain) -8 T4. Guido Migliozzi (ITA) -7 T4. Justin Harding (RSA) -7 T4. Gaganjeet Bhullar (India) - 7