NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 25 – Kenya Open winner Justin Harding was back in the groove at the par 71 Karen County Club course as Savannah Classic entered the penultimate day.
The South African regained the lead after carding a 67 to lead the pack with a -17.
His three-stroke lead puts him in a vantage position to seal back-to-back titles in Karen.
He takes over the lead from compatriot Van Tonder who dropped to joint second on a total of -14.
It was a bad day in the office for Kenyan David Wakhu who dipped from T14 on day T61 after carding a 74.
This cut Wakhu’s -8 score on Wednesday to -5 on penultimate round.
“Day three wasn’t that good. I picked a double bogey which distracted my score. All is not lost. I want to make up for it in the last round tomorrow (today) by hitting the fairways more,” Wakhu said.
Van Tonder of South Africa promised to fight to the very end.
David Wakhu is one of the 12 local pros sponsored by Kenya Vision 2030. Photo/ Caleb Oketch/IMG Kenya
After yesterday’s round Harding said he is happy with his play and the golf course which he said just suits him well.
“It’s a bit of a surprise to be three clear because I feel like I struggled a bit out there. I couldn’t seem to give myself a good number from the fairway and when you’re playing at altitude and as hot as the ball is out here, sometimes it’s hard to get the club selection right.”
“After I bogeyed 14 unnecessarily it was anyone’s game, I was just happy with the way I finished, and I just gave myself a chance. I’ve got no idea, I seem to be having a good game plan around here and ultimately I’m probably executing more shots. I’ve hit it good off the tee, maybe not quite as good into the greens but I bailed myself out a couple of times with the putter.”
“This morning it felt like everyone was going bananas, so it was a tricky day. I think my par save on eight was a bit of a booster. I think missing a short one on seven but then making that on eight and avoiding the bogey was at least a big plus,” Harding said.
