Syme Full Of Praise For Scottish Gem Ladybank In Being One Off The Lead In Kenya.

2 months ago by Comments Off on Syme Full Of Praise For Scottish Gem Ladybank In Being One Off The Lead In Kenya.

Scot Connor Syme was full of praise for the Scottish golfing gem Ladybank after posting a four-under 67 to be straight into contention and just a shot from the front after day one at the Magical Kenya Open near Nairobi.

Syme, 28, is making his sixth start in the Kenyan event and capped his day grabbing five birdies including two in a row near the end of his round.

The Scot is among six players just a shot behind Dutchman Darius Van Driel who posted a 66 on the 111-year-old host Muthaiga club course.

Syme said: “It’s funny as I actually didn’t feel I played that well to be totally honest, and it’s just that I managed my game pretty well.

“My putter saved me on a few occasions and to be fair, I made four or five decent putts but then I was just saying to my caddy, to have missed that birdie putt there on my 18th was very frustrating.

“Overall, very pleased with four-under”.

The Scot is contesting the event for a sixth occasion and with his best finish being third in 2021 when he produced an opening 65 and a closing 64.

Syme’s an ‘honorary member’ at Ladybank, and located just a short drive from St. Andrews, while the golf clubs he used in winning the 2016 Australian Amateur are in his 2017 GB & I Walker Cup bag that takes pride of place in the main room at the Fife club.

And it’s the host Muthaiga course, located in the north-eastern suburbs of the capital Nairobi that reminds him of Ladybank, albeit some 7,000 miles to the north.

Syme said: “The course here at Muthaiga is quite old school in the way it’s set up and while not overly long it reminds me of courses back home including my home club Ladybank where you can shape a lot of shots.

“I like Ladybank in that sense and it’s the same here, and also with its small greens. Each course is a good challenge while the people here are lovely, so it makes playing here also so enjoyable”.

Kingsbarns Links attached Daniel Young quickly made the most of his appearance grabbing four birdies in a 6 and just a shot behind Syme.

Young, 32, was fourth last in making the Kenya field, and competing this year on the secondary Challenge Tour.

Sharing eighth place with Young is Peebles Craig Howie who finished bogey, birdie and bogey also in a 68.

Other Scots – Ewen Ferguson 69, David Law 72 and Marc Warren 77.

MEANTIME – Lone Scot David Drysdale struggled with a four-over 76 to be 11 shots off the lead on day one of the Asian Tour International Series in Oman.

Spainard David Puig, who won last week in Malaysia, posted a seven-under 65 to lead by one from red-hot Chilean Joaquin Niemann.

And Colin Montgomerie posted a one-over 74 to trail seven behind American Steve Pate, who leads the Champions Tour Hassan 11 Trophy in Morocco.

Double Major-winning Angel Cabrera signed for a six-over 79.

 

 

 



Comments are closed.