Jordi Garcia Pinto described the third round as the most enjoyable round of his life and the Spaniard and his co-leader Tim Sluiter heaped praise on the fans in attendance at the Barclays Kenya Open.
The two friends provided plenty of drama in the final group on moving day at Karen Country Club, in Nairobi, and the crowds responded in kind with a rousing atmosphere building with every passing hole.
The feeling was mutual as the players spoke of how the support and respect from the fans drove them on to raise their game under the hot African sun.
“I loved the support of the people today,” said Garcia Pinto. “I have never seen such support on the Challenge Tour and it has been incredible. Playing with Tim, who is my friend since I was young, was also great. I think it the most enjoyable round I have ever played in my whole life.
“I feel a connection with the people here so it is an incredible feeling. You can’t imagine how much I am looking forward tomorrow. I’ll just try to play as I have been playing and I'm not going to think about winning or not winning, I'm just going to enjoy the day and try to play my best.”
Sluiter, meanwhile, was impressed by the respect show by the fans and could not wait to get back out in front of the bulging crowds on Championship Sunday.
“Everybody cheered for the both of us so that was great,” he said. “They just want to see the putts go in no matter who it is. There were so many people here so it was great and hopefully they’ll all come and support me and Jordi tomorrow. It was great fun.”
