Magical Kenya Open delivered a moment to remember on Friday as home favourite Njoroge Kibugu thrilled the crowd with a dramatic eagle at the 18th to secure his place in the weekend rounds.
A composed four-under-par 66 in the opening round had laid a solid foundation for the 22-year-old.
When he birdied the seventh on Friday to move to five under, he looked comfortably inside the projected cut mark.
But golf rarely follows a script.
Back-to-back bogeys at the 12th and 14th holes left Kibugu on the edge, slipping one shot outside the projected cut of four under and setting up a tense finish.
Steady two-putts at the 16th and 17th kept his hopes alive, though a long birdie attempt at the 17th stopped agonisingly short.
That left the par-five 18th as his final opportunity.
With the home crowd swelling behind him, Kibugu delivered when it mattered most.
A solid drive just off the left edge of the fairway set up a bold approach from 226 yards.
Despite the adrenaline coursing through him, he trusted the plan, and his caddie’s advice, sending his iron shot to four feet.
He calmly rolled in the putt for eagle to move to six under and make the cut in unforgettable fashion.
“I haven’t processed it yet but I feel a bit ecstatic, you know? Especially with the crowd on the last,” he said with a smile.
“Two great shots in there and a four-footer, just happy I sunk it and I’m just happy to be playing the weekend.
“It feels amazing, to be honest. As I saw the crowds get bigger, my energy started pumping because I was like, ‘Okay, this is bigger than me, there’s a lot of people who are riding on me.’
“So going into the last, I knew it was more than me, so it was nice having the crowds there.”
