Maarten Lafeber made the most of his opportunities when he won the Tusker Kenya Open on a stormy Sunday in Nairobi.
The 24-year-old Dutchman from Eindhoven was playing on a Tour invitation and got the 1999 European Challenge Tour off the a flying start by securing his maiden title with a closing 64 for a 19-under-par total of 265. It left him three strokes ahead of overnight leader Erik Andersson of Sweden and five in front of fast-finishing South African Sammy Daniels.
Lafeber, who won the South African Tour School early this year but missed the cut in the opening two European Tour events of the season, was a model of consistency all week. He was never out of the top three but did not lead on his own until it counted most. And even a 45 minute delay for thunder and lightning late in the final round failed to upset his rhythm.
"I played strong all week and gave myself a lot of chances," he said after collecting the first prize of 14,781 euro. "I credit all this to my coach, Ruud Boss."
When Jorgen Aker and Iain Pyman led after round one, Lafeber was just behind. When John Hawksworth equalled the course record with 64 on day two Lafeber was alongside him. And when Andersson took over in round three Lafeber was breathing down his neck.
It was not until his playing partner Pyman birdied the third hole on Sunday that Lafeber got his victory run rolling. He birdied the fourth and fifth then secured the first of two eagles from eight feet at the sixth. That put him ahead while further birdies followed at the tenth and the 15th before a 3-iron to six feet at the par-five18th signalled a second eagle.
But while the Dutchman was the star of the week the undoubted star of the final round was Daniels who sliced three strokes off the Muthaiga course record with a blistering 10-under-par 61 including an eagle and nine birdies. It was his lowest ever round although he had a 10-under 62 in the 1993 South African Masters.
Sunday's effort might have been even better as he suffered a bogey when his approach to the seventh finished through the green. But he got a break on the eighth when his drive finished in a hole on the fairway. A quick ruling revealed that it had been made by a greenkeeper in destroying a queen ant so Daniels got a free drop.
Another South African, Hennie Otto, and Aker shared fourth place on 271 while Richard Bland from Southampton surged through on the final day with a 65 for sixth place on 272.
In a week when birdies came thick and fast, 51-year-old Ulsterman David Jones, a former Kenya Open champion, bagged two eagles himself in a third round 65, closed with 69 to share seventh place with Welshman David Park (66) and Pyman (71) a further stroke behind.
