Kenyan professional golfers opened the inaugural Malawi Open with a strong showing at Lilongwe Golf Club, where three of them finished among the top five after the first round on Thursday.
Zambia’s Kelly Tembo set the pace with a three-under-par 69 to lead by one shot in the $50,000 tournament, played on the par-72 course after a string of birdies on a demanding layout.
Sigona Golf Club’s Sujan Shah was the best-placed Kenyan after carding a two-under-par 70. He was followed closely by Dismas Indiza, who returned a one-under-par 71 to stay within reach of the leader.
Simon Ngige of Thika Sports Club also stayed in the mix, finishing level par on 72 to join the Kenyan presence near the top of the board.
Erick Ooko was among four other players on one-over-par 73, while Tony Omuli posted 74 to share 10th place with Swaziland’s Jame Pennington, Zimbabwe’s Nyasha Muyambo and Zambia’s Dyne Moore.
Greg Snow endured a difficult opening round, signing for 78 to tie in 25th place with South Africa-based Kenyan Stefan Andersen. The top 30 players were set to advance to the final two rounds after Friday’s second round.
