Kimani Takes Two-Shot Lead in Rwanda

Larry Ngala

25 May 2011

Nairobi — Despite dropping a shot at the tight par four-seventh, Vet Lab Sports Club’s Ali Kimani returned a fine five under par 67 for a two-shot lead after round one in this year’s KCB Rwanda Open at the tough Kigali Golf Club course on Wednesday.

After rolling in birdie-putts at the second, third and sixth, the national golf team coach hit the trees at the seventh, laid up, pitched on for three and then made two putts to bogey the hole, his only bogey of the day.

“I hit the fairways in most of the holes but, as usual, I have never parred the seventh in all the three times I have played here,” said Kimani, who is two shots better than local pro Emmanuel Ruterana, who played a bogey-free three under par 69 with birdies at the sixth, 17th and 18th.

Muthaiga duo on joint third

Tournament favourite Greg Snow and his Muthaiga club-mate Nicholas Rokoine were joint third on two under par 70.

Snow dropped a shot at the par four-second hole but made birdies at the fifth, sixth and seventh, 10th and 12th then bogeying the 13th, 17th for his 70.

Rokoine picked up birdies at the second and third but bogeyed the fourth and eighth before he shot two under at the back nine with birdies at the 10th, a par five, and the 14th.

Dismas Indizaq, Richard Ainley, David Odhiambo, Hardeep Thethy and Rwanda’s Jean Baptiste were on level par 72.

Stanley Sanga shot three over par to lead the Tanzanians on three shots better than Salum Dilunga(78) and Yasin Salehe (78) while Fadhil Nkya was a shot behind the two. Ethiopia’s only pro, Haile Ghebreegziabher, shot a poor eight over par 80.

There was no Ugandan at Rwanda’s only 18-hole golf course where 34 pros and two local amateurs battle in the Shs1 million event, the fifth leg of the 2011 KCB East Africa Golf Tour.

AllAfrica – All the Time