Parry leads in Kenya, Schaper shoots 69

Stimpmeter · February 21, 2025, 5:15pm

John Parry produced a back-nine birdie blitz to lead by one shot at the halfway stage of the Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa.

Parry started the day alongside Benjamin Hebert at the top of the leaderboard but found himself five shots behind the Frenchman by the time he teed off in the afternoon.

The in-form Englishman soon reeled him in, though, carding six birdies and no bogeys in a flawless 65 to head into the weekend on 14 under par and bogey-free so far.

Five of those birdies came on the back nine, with Parry holding his own shot-of-the-day competition at the 13th and 14th before closing his round with back-to-back birdies to take the outright lead despite swirling winds at Muthaiga Golf Club.

Hebert had led for much of the day on 13 under after finishing his second round with a hat-trick of birdies, including his spectacular chip-in on the 16th. He sat alone in second after signing for a 66 which included six birdies and a single bogey.

South Africa’s Jayden Schaper was another four shots back on nine under after closing his round of 69 with an eagle. Countryman Jacques Kruyswijk was on seven under after shooting 66, while Deon Germishuys’ second successive 68 left him on six under.

Afternoon starter Parry opened his second round with seven straight pars before picking up his first birdie at the 8th from around six feet.

After taking advantage of the par-five 10th, Parry took dead aim with his tee-shot at the tricky 13th and came up less than two feet shy of the hole before tapping in the birdie putt.

He also holed a close-range birdie putt at the 14th after producing two wonderful shots into the green.

Parry, who won the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in December to claim his second DP World Tour title and top the Opening Swing standings, saved par on the 16th before rolling in his testing putt from around 15 feet on the 17th to tie the lead on 13 under.

He then got up and down from a greenside bunker on the last to leapfrog Hebert at the summit.

Parry would go top of the Race to Dubai Rankings with another win in Africa this week, and he said: “It felt a lot trickier than yesterday with trying to judge the wind. It got a lot bouncier.

“I felt like I controlled the ball all day, I definitely drove it better than yesterday. I controlled my ball flight pretty well and felt comfortable out there.

“It’s pretty simple, I just like to feel pretty centred through the turn and then just turn back down through it. It’s one of those things I’ve been doing for the last year and then trying to shape the ball both ways.

“I think that’s probably what’s helped me today with the wind direction, trying to hold the ball against the wind and things like that.”

Parry stressed the importance of the DP World Tour coming to venues like Muthaiga Golf Club that pose a different test to others.

“I think it’s massive and it shows with the scoring. You see it with some courses that are long and the cut is three or four under par, whereas here it’s level par. I think last year it was level or one over.

“It’s something we should do more of and it certainly suits me quite nicely.”

– Edited report from DP World Tour

Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images

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