Morten Orum Madsen stormed into the clubhouse lead on the first day of the Barclays Kenya Open as the Dane continued his fine start to the season to card a seven under par 64 at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi.
The 23 year old was in the first group of the day and duly capitalised on the cooler morning conditions with a superb opening round which included an eagle, six birdies and a bogey.
Madsen has come flying out of the blocks this year, finishing tied runner-up in the first appearance of his rookie Challenge Tour season at the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Challenge earlier this month.
“I played really well in Colombia and had a chance to win, so that was a good confidence boost early in the season,” said Madsen. “I just wanted to try to maintain that form before this tournament so I went to Spain to practise, then had a couple of days back home to relax before coming here.
“I played an ECCO Tour event in Spain to stay sharp. At this time of the season you just want to play as many rounds as you can with a scorecard in your pocket. It was good preparation.
“I played pretty solid today. I hit the ball really well and I holed some decent putts, particularly towards the end.
“I almost holed my second shot on the tenth so that was a good start to the back nine and I pushed on from there. Six birdies and an eagle on the card is always nice, and I was pleased to only have one dropped shot. Hopefully I can post another low score tomorrow and be in contention for the weekend.”
“Kenya is awesome,” he added. “I’ve been here a couple of times before and it’s always somewhere I look forward to coming. The weather is good this time of year and the people are great – everywhere you go you are greeted with a smile.
“It’s great that at the start of the season we go to some difference places. Colombia and Kenya are not necessarily places you’d go on your own so it’s awesome to see them.”
South African Tyrone Mordt, meanwhile, was two shots back after signing for a five under par 66, negotiating his opening round without a dropped shot.
“I had five birdies and no bogeys, which is always nice,” said the 28 year old. “Any time I missed the green my short game was very good. I chipped and putted really well today and just kept plodding along.
“I’ve played here the last two years. Last year I shot seven under in the first round but then really didn’t play well in the next three rounds and finished tied 49th. Hopefully this year I can carry on playing well after a good start.”
There were three players a shot further back on four under, including Scotsman Jamie McLeary, who consolidated his good start to the season in Colombia, where he finished tied eighth, with an opening round of 67.
“The course is fiery,” said the 30 year old. “You need a lot less club because of the altitude, so it’s challenging adjusting your distances. It’s mostly irons off the tee and just a question of hitting it down the middle, because anywhere off the fairway can be punishing.
“The greens are tricky and hard to read, but I managed to hole a couple of nice putts today. But I also missed a couple of short ones, which is always frustrating.”
McLeary was joined on four under by South African Justin Walters, Holland’s Jurian Van der Vaart and Dismas Indiza, who was the highest-placed Kenyan from the morning groups.
