Simwa, Nandwa set tempo for Kenya at Open

Vet Lab’s Nelson Simwa and Railways Club’s Alfred Nandwa lead the Kenyan contingent of local Pros who teed-off on Thursday at the PAR-71 Muthaiga Golf Club.

The two are currently level-par after 11 and 13 holes respectively on a day where both have had intervals of good play during the morning session.

Simwa started off on the back nine, where he holed a bogey on the 14th before sinking birdies on the Par-4, 15th and Par-5, 18th to take him 1-under. He later bogeyed on the 1st to level par on the start of his front nine round.

Nandwa started off on the 1st tee, where he holed birdies on the 2nd and 4th before sinking bogeys on the 6th and 11th to level par. Local sensation Jacob Okello and Dismas Indiza are slated to tee-off on the 1st at 12:40pm and 12:50pm respectively.

Englishman Mathew Nixon led the morning pack for the better part of the money with a score of 5-under over 15 holes – having started on the back nine.

He has sunk birdies on the 10th, 13th, 15th, 18th and 3rd holes to continue with his perfect start to the campaign.

But it is four-time Challenge Tour champion and five-time European Tour champion, Michael Hoey from Northern Ireland, who leads the pack with a 6-under score thru 14 holes.

Starting off on the 1st, he holed a birdie on the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 13th and 14th. He grabbed an eagle on the 7th with his only shortcoming for the day coming in the 8th where he sank a bogey.