Kipp Popert will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the G4D Tour @ Magical Kenya Open as the world’s leading golfer with a disability targets an unprecedented ninth title on the circuit.
The Englishman mixed seven birdies with one bogey in a round of 66 to sit at six under par after the opening day’s play of the two-round event at Muthaiga Golf Club, the first to be staged in Africa.
Lachlan Wood, who won his maiden G4D Tour title at the ISPS HANDA Australian All Abilities Championship on home soil in December, sits solo second on three under, two shots better off than Irishman Brendan Lawlor and Spaniard Juan Postigo Arce.
After opening with a birdie at the first, Popert made a double bogey at the par-three second after finding the water but quickly seized the initiative with four birdies in a five-hole stretch from the fourth.
He soon added another gain at the tenth to reach four under, before a birdie at the 16th saw him post the lowest round of the season so far.
Ten of the world’s best golfers with a disability are in action at the second Gross tournament on the 2023/24 schedule, and Popert will face still competition if he to capitalise on his fine start.
"I don't know how many times in my lifetime I am going to get to come to Kenya and I am just trying to soak it all up," said Popert, who has been playing competitively in Australia over recent months.
"If you had told me five years ago at University that I would be playing at these events and in Kenya... I am pretty chuffed and trying to enjoy it as much as I can.
"I have done a lot of extremely hard work so I am feeling really good. I feel very comfortable with everything at the moment."
Wood, who sustained multiple serious injuries including a shattered and shorter left leg as a teenager, was the only player in the field to be bogey free as he made birdies at the seventh, 13th and 17th in his impressive 68.
Lawlor mixed three birdies with two bogeys in his 70, a total matched by fellow G4D Tour winner Postigo Arce as he combined five birdies with four bogeys.
Marcella Neggers, one of two Dutch female players in the field alongside women's World Number One Daphne van Houten, retired during her opening round with an injury.
The second and final round will begin at 07:20 local time, with live scoring and further coverage across the DP World Tour’s website and social media channels.
