Greg Snow in action at the VetLab Sports Club/ HANDOUTProfessional golfer Greg Snow produced a composed display to take command of the leaderboard after the opening round of the Betika Masters at VetLab Sports Club, carding a 4-under-par 68.
Snow topped the 73-player field at the seventh leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing.
Starting at the 10th, the Muthaiga Golf Club ace opened with a par before stumbling to back-to-back bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes.
But the experienced campaigner quickly regained his footing, firing birdies on the 13th, 15th and 18th to make the turn at 1-under.
On his back nine, Snow found his groove, rolling in birdies at the 1st, 4th, and 9th to close with a sizzling 68, two shots clear of a tightly bunched chasing pack heading into Sunday’s second round.
“The birdies on the 13th and 15th gave me a real lift after that shaky start,” Snow said.
“I told myself to stay patient and trust the process. After the turn, I struck the ball really well and stayed aggressive where it mattered.”
He lauded the setup at VetLab but admitted it demands precision and strategic thinking.
“VetLab is in excellent shape, but it’s a thinking man’s course. You have to plot your way around carefully. The field is strong, so tomorrow I’ll just stick to my plan and keep the ball in play,” he added.
Tied for second on 2-under-par 70 were Njoroge Kibugu, Celestin Nsanzuwera of Rwanda, Grace Kasango of Uganda, and Mutahi Kibugu.
Two-time Tour winner Njoroge Kibugu (Nyali and Thika legs) opened with four pars. He then dropped a double bogey on the 5th but bounced back in style with four straight birdies.
On the back nine, he mixed birdies at the 12th and 14th with dropped shots at the 11th and 17th to finish at 2-under.
Rwanda’s Nsanzuwera, who has been a standout performer on the Tour, continued his fine run with a solid 70. His round featured birdies on the 5th, 7th, 9th, 14th, and 18th, offset by bogeys on the 2nd, 4th, and 16th.
Uganda’s Kasango also impressed, mixing birdies at the 2nd, 6th, and 14th with just one bogey on the 15th for a tidy 2-under card.
Mutahi Kibugu, rounding out the group on 70, played an eventful round with six birdies at the 7th, 9th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and 18th — but saw his charge tempered by four bogeys.
Leading the amateur charge was Michael Karanga, who fired a 1-under-par 71 to sit tied for sixth alongside pros John Wangai and Edwin Mudanyi.
“Playing alongside these guys is invaluable,” Karanga said.
“I had a steady round, missed a few chances, but overall I’m happy. The Tour has raised the bar for us amateurs, and I’m determined to keep improving.”
Action resumes today, with the top 30 players and ties expected to make the cut for Tuesday’s final round.
