Impressive Kibugu makes cut as Nacho leads at Kenya Open

Mutahi Kibugu is the only Kenyan who made the dreaded cut on Day Two of the Magical Kenya Open (MKO) at the par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi on Friday.

At the same time, Elvira Nacho of Spain topped the leaderboard on ten under par 132.

The 22-year-old Kibugu fired a level par on the day for a total two rounds of three under par 139 (68,71) that saw him cruised over the day's projected cut that stood at one under par.

Flanked by a mammoth home crowd, Kibugu had a strong finish in the par-5 18th, ending the hole with a birdie that sent the boisterous spectators on toe into delirium. The ecstatic crowd jumped and hugged him for the achievement.

Other holes Kibugu raked in birdies included the par-4 third, par-5 fourth, par-4 ninth, and the par-4 15th.

The feat saw Kibugu sail into round three of the tournament which now guarantees him a piece of the Sh252 million purse money whose winner will walk away with over Sh37 million tomorrow.

"It feels amazing to escape the axe, especially with such a strong finish in the 18th. I had a bit of pressure in the last two holes (17th and 18th), but I'm glad I overcame them," he told Standard Sport.

"It was amazing to perform in front of the home crowd, I'll forever remember this day in 50 years to come. I'm glad my family and former coaches were present here to witness this history and I'm happy I made them all proud.

"It doesn't get better to fly the Kenyan flag this high. I will still carry on with the same game plan as we head into the next two rounds of the event," Kibugu stated.

Kenya was represented in the 54th edition of the tournament by nine pros and six amateurs including Kibugu's brother Njoroge who was the only player who made the cut in the last year's edition.

Tournament defending champion Ashun Wu of China had a torrid two days on the dry Muthaiga fairways finishing in total two rounds of one over par 143.

Former champion Gagli Lorenzo of Italy (2018) also failed to go past the projected cut, finishing the total two rounds on level par (142).

The trio of Ryo Hisatsune (Japan), Nick Bachem (Germany) and Jayden Schaper (South Africa) were placed second on the table on total two rounds of nine under par 133 each. Ryo said: "I was putting well, the greens here are similar to Japan. I'm so happy with my progress."