Frederic Lacroix and Casey Jarvis will take a share of the lead into the weekend of the Magical Kenya Open presented by absa after reaching 13 under par on day two at Karen Country Club.
Frenchman Lacroix delivered a faultless round in his charge up the leaderboard on Friday, carding four birdies on his opening nine holes before adding another four on the way home.
The 30-year-old used experience to his advantage, having learnt how to adjust to the changing altitude conditions in his three previous appearances at the event, to set himself up well for the weekend.
Jarvis, who signed for an eight under par 62 on Thursday, made three birdies in his opening four holes to continue his aggressive start and remain atop the leaderboard.
The South African reset after consecutive bogeys on the 5th and 6th hole to record four birdies on the back nine, putting himself in a strong position at the halfway point.
Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia, Spaniard Angel Ayora and South African Hennie du Plessis shared third place on 11 under par with Davis Bryant and Francesco Laporta at ten under.
But the story of the day belonged to local hero Njoroge Kibugu, who finished with a stunning eagle to make the cut and extended his tournament into Saturday.
Kibugu, who last played the weekend as an amateur in 2022, picked up one shot on his front nine to move to five under par, before bogeys on the 12th and 14th made for some nervous times.
Sitting one outside the projected cut line heading into his final hole, the 22-year-old hit a solid drive just off the left edge of the fairway to set up a stunning approach, finishing with a four-footer to secure his spot in style.
The Kenyan crowd made it a moment to remember, with handshakes and high-fives on his way to the scorers’ hut.
Player quotes
Frederic Lacroix: I’m super happy about today. I made a couple of good putts and it was just a solid round off the tee with no mistakes.
This morning was a bit colder, a bit more humid, so the ball is not going to travel that much. Yesterday evening was very hot and dry, and there’s a few out there that are going to be bad – you just hit it and it never stops. We know it, it’s not my first in Kenya. You just know it’s going to happen, and you prepare for it.
It’s one of those where if you miss a shot off the tee, you get in trouble very quickly. I think it’s more managing some holes you can be aggressive, sometimes you can’t, especially with different pins. If you live in the middle of the fairway, you’re going to be alright.
Casey Jarvis: I think just sticking to the game plan was important out there. A lot of drivers, trying to stay really aggressive off the tee and taking advantage of that.
The ball flew a little shorter in the morning, but the game plan was the same – to be aggressive, and that’s pretty much what I did.
It’s nice putting myself into these positions. Obviously, I get more comfortable with it. I’ve had two wins on the Sunshine Tour, so I kind of know what the feeling is now.
