United States pro John Catlin and South African Dylan Mostert have taken an early lead after the hot and sunny Day One proceeding at the par 1 Muthaiga course.
The leading duo fired 7 under par 64 to start the Kenya round of the DP World Tour on a high.
Catlin was very pleased with his Day One performance and said: “I feel like I left some out there on my back nine. I got off to a really hot start and just made some bad swings. I didn’t take advantage of the par fives and hit a really bad lay-up on seven. It was a good round of golf, I left a few out there for sure.”
He said was a nice way to build momentum. “I feel like I’ve been close, just a poor swing here, misjudgment there, that’s all it takes out here. It’s very fine margins. I was able to take two weeks off, put some work on my game and it feels like it’s starting to pay off, so I’m really excited about that.”
Mostert was equally happy with his score. “ I played very solid today and kept the momentum going throughout the round. I made some good putts and hit a lot of greens. The greens are small, so if you’re hitting greens you’re going to have a lot of chances. I manage to make a few putts, I’ll just keep doing the same thing. I’m excited about tomorrow.”
Wil Besseling of The Netherlands was happy to return to Kenya having already won the inaugural KCB Karen masters in 2017.
Besseling: “It was an early start, but the weather’s great. The course is tricky, but I putted really well today. Got my round going and finished with three birdies after a mistake on 15. I’m happy with six under.”
Round two of the event on Friday will be used as a yardstick to ascertain those who go into the weekend money bracket. The event has attracted a total of 156 players.
DAY ONE LEADERBOARD
T1. USA -John CATLIN (-7) 64
T1. RSA- Dylan MOSTERT (-7) 64
T2. FRA -Pierre PINEAU (-6) 65
T2. NED- Wil BESSELING (-6) 6 5
5. ESP- Borja VIRTO (-5) 66
