HENDERSON AND HUTCHEON ON
LEADER'S TRAIL IN KENYA OPEN

By PAUL SYMES
European Tour Press Officer

North-east pair Greig Hutcheon and Scott Henderson are on the trail of Argentina's Daniel Barbetti, the first-round leader with a six-under-par 65 in the European Challenge Tour's Tusker Kenya Open at Nairobi's Karen Country Club.
Unerring accuracy off the tee despite blustery conditions - and a hot putter - helped Barbetti secure a two-shot lead from the Scots.
Having never before broken par or made the cut on two previous visits to the Tusker Kenya Open, Barbetti was determined to master the 6,984 yards course and he duly set about his task with some relish by birdieing his opening two holes.
Another birdie at the fifth hole was cancelled out by his solitary bogey at the sixth, but by picking up a further four shots on the back nine he guaranteed his place at the top of the leaderboard.
If Barbetti’s progress was spectacular, Henderson’s was steady until, on the 13th hole, the Aberdonian registered his first birdie of the day. Another one on the 14th hole and a stunning eagle on the par-5 18th catapulted the 38-year-old into contention.
Henderson was joined in a tie for second on four under par by compatriot Hutcheon, who is seeking his fourth Challenge Tour title.
The Scot, who celebrates his 35th birthday at the end of the month, was four under par through seven holes after an early birdie blitz, but a bogey on the 17th – his eighth hole – halted his momentum.
Henderson and Hutcheon were trailed by a trio of players on three under par: Spain’s Carlos Del Moral, Kenya’s Dismas Indiza, and Sweden’s Fredrik Widmark.
Montrose's Graeme Brown finished on 73. With a field of 156 players, Graeme faces a fit to survive the halfway cut-off.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
65 D Barbetti (Arg).
67 S Henderson (Sco), G Hutcheon (Sco), S P Webster (Eng).
68 C Del Moral (Spa), D Indiza (Kenya)), R Widmark (Swe).
69 J Quesne (Fra), L Corfield (Eng), G Lockerbie (Eng), G Boyd (Eng), B Mason (Eng), T Charamba (Zimbabwe), A Andersson(Swe), M Bothma (SAf), J Heath (Eng), J Hepworth (Eng), I Van Weerelt (Net).
Other score:
73 G Brown (Sco).