Africa-Press – Uganda. Deo Akope is now the leading Ugandan in the race for a place at next month’s PGA European Tour event – the Kenya Open – after tying 13th with counterpart Willy Deus Kitata at the Nyali Leg of the Safari Tour Series. Akope carded a final round of 74 including three bogeys, two birdies and a double-bogey while Kitata shot 75 at the par-71 course in Mombasa leaving the pair to take the same share of the $10,000 (Shs36.7m) tournament prize money at Nyali.
By finishing with an aggregate score of 301, Akope collected 17.7 points to tally 99.2 points on the Safari Series, thereby overtaking Phillip Kasozi in the race to the Kenya Open. Akope is now in 16th place with Kasozi, who missed the cut due to a broken 3-wood at Nyali, is a place below with 92.5 points.
The top-two non-Kenyan players on the Safari Series qualify for the Kenya Open and here, it is only Zimbabwean Robson Chinhoi ahead. Chinhoi won the Nyali leg with a final round of 72 for an aggregate 285 and he sits third on the Series’ charts with 260.6 points with two legs at Muthaiga and Karen left to play. Meanwhile, Kitata scored his first Series’ points of the 2020-21 (contributes 70 percent to the final tally) but he wasn’t happy.
“Not too good,” said the self-styled player. “I had double-bogeys on Holes par-4 No.4, par-5 No.11 and par-4 No.16 yet, I had a birdie on par-4 No.12 and even an eagle on par-5 No.17,” added Kitata.
FINAL LEaDERBOARD 1. Robson Chinhoi (ZIM) +1 285T2 Dismas Indiza (KEN) +2 286T2 Greg Snow (KEN) +2 286 4 Simon Ngige (KEN) +5 2895 David Wakhu (KEN) +10 294 6 Mathew Wahome (KEN) +11 295 7 Jastas Madoya (KEN) +12 296 T8 Eric Ooko (KEN) +13 297T8 Michael Madahana (KEN) +13 297T10 Matthew Omondi (KEN) +16 300T10 Robinson Owiti (KEN) +16 300T10 Aloys Nsabimana (RWA) +16 300T13 Deo Akope (UGA) +17 301T13 Willy Deus Kitata (UGA) +17 301
