Three players were at the head of a congested leaderboard heading into the weekend at the Magical Kenya Open.
Dutchman Darius van Driel came into day two leading and followed up his opening 66 with a 69 to set the target at seven under.
He was joined at the summit by Tapio Pulkkanen after a birdie-birdie finish saw the Finn sign for a 68 and Scot Connor Syme carded a 68 of his own, eagling the last to make it a three-way tie.
Spaniard Manuel Elvira, Scot Ewen Ferguson, Englishman Sam Hutsby and Italian Lorenzo Scalise were at six under, with 21 players within three shots of the lead.
All three of the leaders made their way to the DP World Tour initially through the European Challenge Tour, with Pulkkanen topping the Road to Mallorca Rankings in 2017 and Syme and Van Driel both graduating two years later.
They have also all had runner-up finishes on the DP World Tour but will be looking for maiden wins at Muthaiga Golf Club from very different positions.
Pulkkanen is without playing privileges this season after losing his card in 2023, with Van Driel doing the same but gaining his straight back at the Qualifying School.
Syme, meanwhile, has been a picture of consistency in his five full seasons on Tour and this week marks seven made cuts from seven in the 2024 campaign.
Van Driel was out in the first group of the day from the 10th and dropped a shot on the 12th before birdieing the 17th and 18th and adding another gain on the 4th.
“It was a bit more difficult, more wind and it was a bit colder – but still a good score,” he said.
“I was patient. I missed a couple of short putts for birdie though, but you know there are some chances out there and some tough holes as well. Overall, if you shoot a score under par, that’s good.
“I’ll stick to what I’m doing now and hopefully hole a few more putts.”
Pulkkanen was another to throw in an early bogey on the 3rd but he hit back with birdies on the 4th and 5th to turn in 35.
A birdie on the 14th was given back on the 16th but a 12-footer on the 17th had him within touching distance before he took advantage of the par-five last.
“It was really important, especially from the first bogey I made on three, to get the round going and make two birdies after that,” he said.
“I played a lot of irons off the tee, same as yesterday. I think the course played similar to the first day: same wind direction, firm greens. I played well.”
Syme made a 12-footer on the 1st and played a beautiful bunker shot for an up-and down on the par-five 4th but gave the shots back on the 2nd and 5th.
Another birdie from 15 feet followed on the 7th before he broke a run of 10 pars by putting his second at the last to five feet to set up his big finish.
“Pretty pleased,” he said. “Actually didn’t putt as well as I did yesterday but I felt like I played a little bit better today. It was nice to get a bonus eagle at the last to cap off a solid round of golf.
“I drove it pretty well and gave myself chances to get it close to some of the pins. I scrambled well when I needed to, there were a couple on the back nine where I kept momentum going to give me an opportunity to do that one on the last.”
Hutsby had shared the lead after five birdies but bogeyed the seventh in a 67, a score matched by Ferguson, while Elvira signed for a 66 and Scalise cared a 68.
English pair Joe Dean and Tom Lewis, South African duo Louis de Jager and Deon Germishuys, Scotsman Craig Howie, France’s Frederic Lacroix, Swede Jesper Svensson and Spaniard Lucas Vacarisas were two off the lead.
– Report from DP World Tour website
Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
