RAYMOND RUSSELL LEADS TARTAN ARMY CHARGE AT KENYA OPEN

NEWS RELEASE FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

A host of Scots made positive starts to the Barclays Kenya Open and Raymond Russell led the charge as he finished the opening day one shot off the lead thanks to a four under par round of 67.

The Edinburgh-born man carded a bogey-free round at the sun-kissed Karen Country Club, in Nairobi, to share second place with two others, one shot back from outright leader and his playing partner HP Bacher.

It was plain sailing for the former European Tour winner as his birdies at the fourth and tenth holes came courtesy of putts within six feet before another precise wedge to the 13^th gave him an eight foot birdie putt, which he duly converted.

A two-putt for birdie at the par five 15^th put the icing on the cake for Russell as he chases a second European Challenge Tour title, having won his first at the Challenge Provincia di Varese last year.

“It was pretty stress-free really,” said the 40 year old. “I didn’t really have to scramble or struggle to any pars, I just hit the fairways and greens and kept it steady.

“I’m playing solid enough and I’ve been practicing hard so it’s a nice start to the week. I didn’t play well in India two weeks ago but it feels much better this week.

“I just need to try to get off to a quick start to the season because there’ll be plenty of time to get work done over the next couple of months. Every week is important though. I just need to keep trying to play the way I’m playing.”

David Law, Andrew McArthur and George Murray were all a shot further back in tied fifth place after they signed for three under par rounds of 68 while Steven O’Hara’s two under par 69 left him in tied 11^th.

Bacher, meanwhile, made a flying start as an eagle and a birdie in the opening three holes helped him to a five under par 66 and the first round lead.

The Austrian almost negotiated the opening three holes in four under par as a birdie putt at the first hole just slid past the cup before he chipped in from 35 feet for an eagle at the second and carded a birdie at the third.

A bogey at the ninth hole meant he reached the turn in two under but a gained shot at the par four 11^th followed by birdies at the back nine’s two par fives, the 15^th and 18^th, elevated him to the top of the leaderboard.

  FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD

   Par 71

66 H Bacher (Aut) 

67 T Murray (Eng) , A Otaegui  (Esp) , R Russell (Sco) 

68 A McArthur  (Sco) , M Ford (Eng) , G Snow  (Ken) , D Law (Sco) , S Hutsby  (Eng) , G Murray  (Sco) 

69 P Uihlein  (USA), B An (Kor) , T Hatton (Eng) , S O'Hara  (Sco) , T Sluiter  (Ned) ,  Besseling  (Ned) , D Indiza  (Ken) , C Brazillier  (Fra) , J Garcia Pinto (Esp) , P Archer (Eng) 

70 D Kemmer (USA) , J Lima  (Por) , B Koepka  (USA) , J Gibb (Eng) , N Ngugi (Ken) , J Fahrbring (Swe) , P Oriol (Esp) , B Hebert  (Fra) , L Bjerregaard  (Den) , G Stal  (Fra) , A Pavan (Ita) 

71 D Im (USA) , J Van Tonder (RSA) , F Bergamaschi (Ita) , D Odhiambo  (Ken), P Edberg (Swe), M Crespi  (Ita), T Nørret (Den) , D Frittelli (RSA) , E Dubois (Fra) , M Mandhu (Zim) , D Denison  (Eng) , A Shah (Ken) , V Riu  (Fra) , N Mudanyi (Ken) , J Ruth  (Eng) , P Relecom  (Bel) , J Moul  (Eng) , C Aguilar  (Esp) , J Huldahl (Den) , J Barnes (Eng) , M Glauert (Ger)

72 S Walker (Eng) , S Jeppesen  (Swe) , A Velasco (Esp) , S Manley (Wal) , J Senior (Eng) , K Timbe  (Ken) , N Kearney (Irl) , T Fournier  (Fra) , S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) , J Legarrea (Esp) , M Muthiya  (Zam) , G Shaw (Nir) 

73 F Colombo (Ita) , B Parker  (Eng) , N Ravano (Ita) , J Timmis (Eng) , M Sell  (Eng) , N Floren (Swe) , S Brown (Eng) , D Vancsik (Arg) , B Ritthammer (Ger) , R Hjelm (Den) , D Wuensche  (Ger) , R Davies (Wal) , B Njoroge  (Ken) , S Engell Andersen  (Ken) , J Howarth (Eng) , A Bernadet  (Fra) 

74 M Haastrup  (Den) , P Dwyer (Eng) , J Dantorp (Swe) , J McLeary  (Sco) , N Elvira  (Esp) , J Lando Casanova  (Fra) , S Tiley (Eng) , L Kennedy  (Eng) , C Ford (Eng) , D Akope  (Uga) , G Giddie  (Ken) , C Suneson (Esp) , N Simwa (am) (Ken) 

75 D Stewart (Sco) , C Gane (Eng) , L Claverie (Esp) , R Enoch  (Wal) , A Rota (Ita) , L Goddard  (Eng) , J Van Der Walt (RSA) , J Muigai (Ken) , S Ngige (Ken) , D Griffiths  (Eng) , C Hanson (Eng) , C Russo (Fra) , W Booth  (Sco) , M Zions (Aus) , D Perrier (Fra) , A Horne (Swz) , F Kimani (am) (Ken) 

76 K Borsheim  (Nor) , J Maurer  (Aut) , R Charania (Ken) , L Saltman (Sco) , N Quintarelli (Ita) , A Domingo (Esp) , B Simwa (Ken) , J Wahlqvist (Swe) , S Muthugia (Ken) , M Kramer  (Ger) , C Wangai (Ken) , G Houston (Wal) , P Thuo (Ken) 

77 K Abuto  (Ken) , F Laporta (Ita) , F De Vries  (Ned) , H Kadio (Tan) , R Ainley (Ken) , D Wakhu  (Ken) , O Rozner  (Fra) , F Calmels  (Fra) , D Opati (Ken) , N Meitinger  (Ger) 

78 A Kimani  (Ken) , G Cambis  (Fra) , J Kagiri  (Ken) , J Abbott (Eng) , R Kellett (Sco) , M Novy  (Cze) , D Palm (Swe)

79 M Haremza (Ger) , J Watts (Eng) , M Omondi (am) (Ken) , T Omuli (am) (Ken) 

80 H Kutwa (Ken) , J Glennemo (Swe) , J Okello (Ken) , A Perrino  (Ita) , J Sandhu (am) (Ken) , J Madoya (am) (Ken) 

81 A Shah  (Ken) 

83 H Mutawe (Uga) 

84 E Ruterena (Rwa) , Å Nilsson (Swe) 

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