Velasco continues Spain’s reign in Kenya
Alvaro Velasco is hoping to make it two Spanish
winners in as many years at the Barclays Kenya
Open after the former Challenge Tour Number
One steamed into the first round lead at Karen
Country Club, Nairobi, courtesy of a six under par 66.
Velasco watched on in delight at the Nairobi venue
last year when his close friend and fellow
Catalonian Jordi Garcia Pinto claimed his maiden
victory, and the 32 year old has admitted it proved
an inspiration ahead of this week’s edition of one
of the Challenge Tour’s longest-running events.
Velasco was certainly in inspired form in the African sun, although his start to the first event of the season was a turbulent one, opening with a bogey at the tenth hole before following that with a birdie at the 11th, a bogey at the 12th and another birdie at the 13th.
He steadied the ship, however, and picked up another shot at the 17th the reach to turn in one under par before embarking on a stunning second nine which began with three consecutive birdies and was topped off by back-to-back birdies at the seventh and eighth.
“It was a great round to start the season with,” said the Barcelona man. “It wasn’t easy, with the wind and the way the greens are getting firmer but I played pretty solid tee to green and my putter was working really nicely.
“I've had a few months off and that was very good for me, to get over last season and get ready for the new season. I have been practicing very well at home and I was very motivated to start competing again and this is a good week to start with.”
Velasco has not won since the crowning season of his career, when he claimed two titles en route to finishing top of the 2010 Challenge Tour Rankings – ahead of Thorbjørn Olesen and Bernd Wiesberger among others – and he will be hoping the experience gained from those victories, as well as the memories of Garcia Pinto’s triumph here last season, will help him end that wait this week.
“It was very inspiring for all the Spanish players to see Jordi win here last year so we are trying to follow in his footsteps and have another Spanish win,” he said. “It would be very special.
“It’s about four years since my last victory so I am working on it and hopefully this year some wins will come. I need to keep focussed on my game, get ready to compete and stay at my best and then the wins will come if I do the right things.
“The experience of winning helps and for me it feels nice to be at the top of the leaderboard. It means you are playing well and doing things properly so I cannot wait to be in that position come the end of a tournament again.”
Lasse Jensen, meanwhile, believes that he has some “unfinished business” at this event having been beaten in a play-off by Seve Benson at Muthaiga Golf Club, also in Nairobi, two years ago, and the Dane got off to a strong start as he carded a five under par 67 to share second place with South African Haydn Porteous.
Former US Amateur Champion Byeong-hun An was on his own in fourth place after the Korean posted a four under par 68, while there were 13 players – including former Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson – a shot further back on three under.
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FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
66 A Velasco (Esp)
67 L Jensen (Den), H Porteous (RSA) ,
68 B An (SKor)
69 N Quintarelli (Ita) , J Roos (RSA) , P Oriol (Esp) , W Besseling (Ned) , P Edberg (Swe) , P Widegren (Swe) , O Stark (Swe) , D Kemmer (USA) , J Guerrier (Fra) , O Wilson (Eng) , P Relecom (Bel) , E Dubois (Fra) , D Ulrich (Sui)
70 M Ford (Eng) , A Dunbar (Nir) , V Phillips (Eng) , F Praegant (Aut) , S Brown (Eng) , P Price (Wal) , G Snow (Ken) , C Bouniol (Fra) , A Bernadet (Fra) , J Garcia Del Moral (Esp) , J Huldahl (Den) , J Lando Casanova (Fra) , J Palmer (Eng) , D Van Tonder (RSA) , O Farr (Wal) , A Johnston (Eng)
71 S Walker (Eng), B Hebert (Fra), S Tiley (Eng), J Sjöholm (Swe) , A McArthur (Sco) , D Stewart (Sco) , O Bekker (RSA) , T Linard (Fra) , C Russo (Fra) , N Rokoine (Ken) , C Lloyd (Eng) , J Garcia Pinto (Esp) , Z Scotland (Eng) , J Kennegard (Swe) , C Aguilar (Esp)
72 A Bruschi (Ita) , L Kennedy (Eng) , J Legarrea (Esp) , T Nørret (Den) , R Coles (Eng) , R Kind (Ned) , M Lafeber (Ned) , R Davies (Wal) , N Lemke (Swe) , M Lampert (Ger) , N Ngugi (Ken) , D Coupland (Eng) , A Snobeck (Fra) , G Woolgar (Eng)
73 D Akope (Uga) , S Hutsby (Eng) , E Kofstad (Nor) , E Espana (Fra) , D Indiza (Ken) , C Mivis (Bel) , J Gonnet (Fra) , A Marshall (Eng) , C Brazillier (Fra) , A Rota (Ita) , J Lagergren (Swe) , B Evans (Eng) , K Benz (Sui) , M Delpodio (Ita) , C Hanson (Eng) , N Johansson (Swe) , J Fahrbring (Swe) , J Winther (Den) , J Elson (Eng) , M Omondi (Ken) , L Gagli (Ita) , K Chiluba (Zam) , S Engell Andersen (Ken)
74 T Pieters (Bel) , T Sluiter (Ned) , L Nemecz (Aut) , B Ritthammer (Ger) , M Wiegele (Aut) , P Archer (Eng) , M Trappel (Aut) , P Maddy (Eng) , A Björk (Swe) , M Orrin (Eng) , F Bergamaschi (Ita) , O Floren (Swe) , T Pulkkanen (Fin) , J Rask (Swe) , S Smith (RSA)
75 T Charamba (Zim) , B Åkesson (Swe) , B Njoroge (Ken) , D Wakhu (Ken) , D Gavins (Eng) , L Goddard (Eng) , R McEvoy (Eng) , S Ngige (Ken) , C Macaulay (Sco) , G Lockerbie (Eng) , S Little (Eng) , J Okello (Ken) , M Rominger (Sui) , J Karichu (am) (Ken) , J Madoya (am) (Ken) ,
76 A Tadini (Ita) , A Domingo (Esp) , N Mudanyi (Ken) , D Im (USA) , D Opati (Ken) , C Paisley (Eng) , R Steiner (Aut) , G Murray (Sco) , G Cambis (Fra) , M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) , C Shinkwin (Eng) , D Law (Sco) , J Kiondo (Ken) , T Omuli (Ken) (am)
77 S Muthugia (Ken) , D Gaunt (Eng) , D Anguyo (Uga) , T Lee (USA) , P McKechnie (Sco) , R Ainley (Ken)
78 R Charania (Ken) , B Simwa (Ken) , D Frittelli (RSA) , J Wangai (Ken) , A Shah (Ken) , M Haastrup (Den) , D Nduva (Ken) (am)
79 B Stone (RSA) , A Hartø (Den) , D Odhiambo (Ken) , J Hakizimana (Rwa) , H Buhrmann (RSA)
80 H Thethy (Ken)
81 N Dougherty (Eng) , K Timbe (Ken) , G Boyd (Eng)
82 R Owiti (am) (Ken) (am)
83 M Vinaccia (Fra)
84 G Giddie (Ken)
87 N Simwa (Ken) (am)
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