Despite windy conditions for the third round of the Barclays Kenya Open, Joël Stalter fired an eight under par round of 64 to break the course record by one shot and move into contention at Nairobi’s Karen Country Club.
The Frenchman started the day on two under par, but after a bogey-free round featuring six birdies and an eagle, he had moved into a tie for second place on ten under par by the time he finished his third round.
“I played really well,” he said. “I was close to every pin, made a few putts and even on the back nine, obviously you can’t make everything, but I missed a few easy opportunities but then I made others – it was just a really good round of golf.
“The last two days were a bit frustrating because I hit a lot of good shots but the putts weren’t dropping, but I stayed patient and knew there would be a day when it would all fall into place, and that was today.
“I had no idea what the course record was, but that’s a great thing to have, especially in a tournament, and it will be fun to be back close to the leaders – hopefully I can do something similar to this again tomorrow.”
The 23 year old first played in Kenya last year, finishing in a tie for 34thplace, and he credited spending time with the local people for driving him to improve his game.
“It’s perfect out here,” he said. “I’ve been staying at a member’s house and it’s given me a different view of Kenya as well because they’re locals and can explain the situation out here, so it’s a great learning experience.
“I came last year and liked it. We take a lot of things for granted and when you come to places like this it puts you back in reality and you learn what some people have to go through every day.
“When I left last year I wanted to work even harder because I realised how lucky I was to be doing what I’m doing, so I love coming here – especially when I play as well as I did today.”
