This archive report was first published on 4 December 2019.
On Wednesday, Esther Henseleit, a rookie player from Germany, announced her intention to end the 2019 season in style by returning an individual two-under par 70 score at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open Pro-Am at the Vipingo Ridge's Baobab course.
Published on December 4, 2019, Henseleit's impressive round included eight straight pars and a lone birdie on the par-four ninth, for a one-under par score of 35 on the opening nine.
On the back nine, Henseleit posted six pars, two birdies on the par-five 11th and par-five 16th, as well as a lone bogey on the tough par-three 12th for a score of one-under par 35 on the back nine and a total of two-under par 70 for the round.
As she plays her first full Ladies European Tour (LET) season, Henseleit has performed well, finishing second at the Ladies European Thailand Championship in June 2019 and second again at the Estrella Dam Mediterranean Ladies Open in September 2019. She is currently second on the LET Order of Merit behind Marianne Skarpnord from Norway.
Skarpnord, who opened her Pro-am round with seven straight pars, before sinking two birdies on the par-three eighth and at the par-four ninth for a two-under par opening nine of 34, also had a notable round.
Other notable players included Swede Linda Wessberg, Stacy Lee Bregmann of South Africa, and Lynn Carlsson, who finished on level par, while Astrid Vayson de Pradenne of France, Amy Boulden (Wales), Florenyna Parker (England), Lakareber Abe (USA), Isabelle Boineau (France), and Cheyenne Woods all finished at one-over par 73.
Speaking to the press after her round, Abe said she was pleased with her game, stating, 'The golf course is in great shape and I am happy with the way I am playing. I think the key this week will be keeping the ball in play, avoiding trouble off the tee box and managing the game around the greens.'
Meanwhile, in the Pro-Am team competition, Pro Diksha Dagar from India, playing with Ken Mwige, Charles Gichobi, and Vedick Wafula, returned a score of minus-26 to emerge the overall team winners.
Speaking after her round, Woods said she was ready for the tournament, 'I have playing professional golf for seven years now, having started my career on the Ladies European Tour. I have now played on the LPGA for five years. This golf course is very beautiful and the weather is great, however it is important to stay hydrated.'
She also offered words of advice to the young Kenyan girls, saying, 'I would advice them to write down their goals and plot a path of how to achieve them, they must be structured to succeed.'
