Tyrone Mordt returned to finish his opening round of the Barclays Kenya Open this morning, and promptly added a further birdie to the six he notched on the rain-affected first day to climb to the top of the leaderboard.
The South African passed overnight leader Chris Lloyd of England courtesy of a birdie at his closing hole, the par four ninth, to sign for a seven under par round of 64.
The 28 year old from Johannesburg, who finished in a tie for eighth place at the 2009 Alfred Dunhill Championship on The European Tour, then swiftly refuelled before embarking on his second round at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi, Kenya.
He said: “I started yesterday very nicely with two birdies, which got me going in the right direction straight away. My iron play was very good all day – most of my birdie putts were from less than ten feet – and it was good to get another one on the board when I came back this morning. The plan now is to get a bit of food inside me and then get back out there, and hopefully I can pick up a few more shots.
“As I’ve only got a conditional card this year which will get me into about seven or eight events max, I’ve really got to make the most of my playing opportunities when they do come along. I’ve been playing mainly on the Sunshine Tour back home, but I’d really love to get onto the Challenge Tour and then hopefully onto The European Tour one day.”
Niall Kearney was another early riser, and the Irishman completed his four remaining holes in level par to complete a flawless display.
This week Kearney was awarded a €15,000 grant by the Team Golf Ireland Trust, and he fully justified the panel’s decision with a round of 66 which got off to the best possible start with an eagle at his first hole, the par five tenth.
The 2009 Walker Cup player said: “This morning was just steady golf, but yesterday I played very nicely. It could’ve been even better because I fell like a left a few shots out there, but then golfers always say that! I played poorly here on my first visit to Kenya last year, so it was nice to make amends this time. The course is playing lovely, and I’m looking forward to getting out there again.”
