This archive report was first published on 7 December 2019.
Published on December 7, 2019, the Magical Kenya Ladies Open Golf Championships presented by M-Pesa entered its second day at the par 72 Vipingo Baobab Ridge in Kilifi County.
Sweden's Julia Engström, the 2018 Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year, maintained her lead after carding a brilliant six-under par 66 gross for a total two days' score of 133 gross.
Engström, who was the day one leader on 67 gross, braved the afternoon heat to add to her impressive score. She expressed her happiness with her performance, stating that she was enjoying her first visit to Kenya.
"I started off well and made four birdies in the last five holes. I didn’t hole that many putts in the middle of the round, but I finished off well. I hit more greens today, so I’m happy with my round," she said.
Engström's closest challengers, Scottish Kelsey Macdonald, Finland's Ursula Wikstrom, and Germany's Esther Henseleit, each shared the second slot by carding a total of 139 gross, missing the leader board by six strokes.
Macdonald praised her performance, saying, "I hit it great off the tee, gave myself a lot of chances and my putting was really solid today. It was great to get out in the first group when it was a little less humid. I’m just really happy with my performance today."
Out of the 100 players from 28 countries, only 63 made the cut to the next two rounds, competing for Sh33 million prize money with the winner taking home Sh5 million.
The tournament's star attraction, Cheyenne Woods of USA, Scotland's Michele Thomson, and Sanna Nuutinen from Finland, shared the next slot after returning a total of 140 gross each.
Kenyan professional Bhavi Shah from Nyali golf and Country Club missed the cut after producing 167 gross, along with colleagues amateurs Naomi Wafula, Margaret Njoki, Agnes Nyakio, and Mercy Nyanchama.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala expressed his optimism about the tournament's impact on Kenya's tourism prospects, stating that it would boost the country's ability to attract top sporting events.
