Jacques Blaauw carded 66 at the Karen Country Club on Friday to lead the Barclays Kenya Open by one shot at the halfway mark of the European Challenge Tour curtain-raiser.
The three-time Sunshine Tour winner was second at the Tshwane Open in 2015 and recently finished eighth at the final event in the Chase to the Investec Cup.
He carried that good form across to Kenya this week, where he’s made just three bogeys on his way to a 36-hole total of 10-under-par.
The 30-year-old currently ranks 13th on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit and aims to take that success abroad. His prowess in Kenya will go a long way to helping him make the next step.
Countrymen Haydn Porteous and Brandon Stone battled it out for the title last year, with the former clinching victory with an eagle at the 18th. The pair both broke into the European Tour winners’ circle earlier this year and have inspired the likes of Blaauw with their progression to the second-biggest stage in golf.
Danie van Tonder was the nearest chaser on Friday, a player whose unorthodox swing is something to behold. The strong 25-year-old shot 69 to claim sole second heading into the weekend.
