BY PHILLIP ORWA
Sigona Pro Mohit Mediratta commandeered the leaderboard after the opening round of the Kabete Challenge, the third leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, being played at VetLab Sports Club.
Mediratta, who had earlier dropped shots on the 1st and 3rd holes, overcame the shaky start and recovered to sink birdies on the 2nd, 11th, 14th, 15th and 17th to card a round of 3-under par 69, giving him a one-shot lead heading into the second round.
“I stayed patient throughout the round despite the slow start. After dropping a couple of early shots, I focused on sticking to my game plan and taking advantage of the opportunities that came my way. The course is playing well and there is still a lot of golf to be played, so the focus now is on staying consistent heading into the next two rounds,” Mediratta said.
Taimur Malik, who recently turned professional, is perched in second place after he returned 2-under par 70. Malik’s scorecard featured birdies on the 4th, 13th, 16th and 17th holes, with his only dropped shots coming on the 1st and 12th.
“I’m pleased with how I played today. I gave myself a number of birdie chances and managed to convert some of them. It’s always encouraging to be near the top of the leaderboard, but there are still two rounds to go, and my goal is to keep hitting good shots and remain in contention,” said Malik.
Nigeria’s Godwin Okoko, one of the Tour’s rising young stars who recently turned 20, is currently placed third; he is the highest-ranked foreign player after the opening round.
The Nigerian carded 1-under par 71, courtesy of birdies on the 4th, 10th, 11th and 14th holes. His only setbacks came on the 3rd hole and a double-bogey on the 7th, but he recovered strongly to remain firmly in contention heading into day two.
Okoko said after his round:
“It was a good day overall. I made a few mistakes along the way, but I stayed positive and kept fighting. Being in contention after the first round is a good position to be in, and I’m looking forward to the challenge over the next two days.”
Tied for fourth place on level-par 72 is a four-man group comprising Nyali Golf & Country Club amateur Adel Balala, Ndumberi Golf Club’s Michael Karanga, Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera, and Karen Country Club professional Edwin Mudanyi.
Nsanzuwera, who won the season-opening event at Thika Sports Club, will be looking to continue his strong start to the campaign, while Karanga continues to impress in his debut season in the professional ranks following his tied-second finish at the NCBA Royal Classic earlier this month.
The three-day tournament has attracted a strong field of players from across Africa and beyond, all competing for a share of the Sh1.5 million prize purse, as well as valuable Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points.
Round two resumes on Monday with players seeking to position themselves for a final push towards the title in what is shaping up to be another tightly contested Sunshine Development Tour event.
