DP World Tour: Magical Kenya Open Leaderboard
Ewen Ferguson will take a four-shot lead into the final round of the 2022 Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa as he looks for a first win on the DP World Tour.
The Scot entered day three at Muthaiga Golf Club a shot off the lead but ended it with a commanding advantage as a 66 moved him to 14 under.
Swede Marcus Kinhult and China's Wu Ashun were his nearest challengers, with Spanish duo Jorge Campillo and Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, England's David Horsey and German Matti Schmid five shots off the lead.
Ferguson enjoyed a stellar amateur career, winning the Boys Amateur Championship, the Scottish Boys and the Scottish Boys Stroke Play, while also helping Scotland win the European Team Championship and Great Britain & Ireland win the Walker Cup.
He made 31 appearances on the DP World Tour between 2016 and 2021 but has full playing privileges for the first time this season after finishing eighth on last season's Road to Mallorca on the European Challenge Tour.
After a top 40 finish in his Rolex Series debut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, he saw his season interrupted by testing positive for Covid but he has shown few signs of any ill effects in Nairobi, with rounds of 66-67-66 putting him in pole position to be the third first-time Scottish winner in seven months on the DP World Tour.
“I was playing really well coming into the day, made a nice birdie on one which I think really settles you down a little bit," he said. "I managed to plod my way along. I made a couple of mistakes which, when you’re playing well, you still come out with par.
“I think that was the key today, momentum just kept going, I was holing clutch three or four-foot putts to keep me going and I just played nicely and plodded my way around
“It would be unbelievable to win, obviously, but I think with everything going on in the world right now, golf just means so little and I think that’s in the back of everyone’s minds. I think that’s pretty key as well, there’s so much other stuff going on so I’ll try my best tomorrow and try to grind out the win but if it doesn’t happen I’ll be back again for another chance.
Kinhult had set the clubhouse target at ten under after a 64 which matched the lowest round of his DP World Tour career and the lowest of the week.
He won on the Nordic Golf League last week for a first victory since he missed three months of the 2021 season after being diagnosed with epilepsy and he has brought that form to Nairobi.
The 25-year-old had a birdie-eagle finish to go with six other gains and two bogeys.
Reigning Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Schmid matched Kinhult with a 64, while Campillo and Horsey both carded rounds of 65 and Garcia Rodriguez signed for a 66.
Kawamura was at eight under alongside Canadian Aaron Cockerill, Belgian Thomas Detry and Frenchman Matthieu Pavon.
Cockerill who lost his European Tour playing privileges last year is having his best week since the season began with scores 70 68 67 -8. He has been playing the Challenge Tour this year.
Edit Bryan Angus
(europeantour.com)
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