Following a week-long break, David Law and Ryggs Johnston were feeling the benefit of time to work on the fundamentals of their game as the DP World Tour season resumed at the Magical Kenya Open presented by absa.
Law and Johnston struggled during the opening stretch of the year in the Middle East – both missing cuts in their last three starts - but spent the off week ironing out issues ahead of the continuation of the International Swing.
And the early signs are that the work is reaping its rewards with Law – who regained his card for this season through the HotelPlanner – opening with a seven-under-par 63 to sit one shot adrift of early pacesetter Niklas Lemke at Karen Country Club on Thursday.
“I wasn't too happy with my game after the Middle East swing, so it gave me a week to sort of work on things technically and then try and come in this week and not do too much technically which has been good,” said Law.
Johnston won his maiden DP World Tour title during a memorable rookie campaign that saw him make his Major Championship debut in The Open at Royal Portrush.
But the American, like Law, is without a top 20 so far this season and he is hoping that some time away from competition will serve him well going forward after posting a 64 that featured a chip-in eagle at the tenth.
“I went back to London last week to see my swing coach during the off week,” he said.
“We just worked on getting the club in a better position at the top. The club face was getting open, leading to a lot of right pushes.
“I was getting closed up a little bit and it’s been a little more consistent but it’s always a work in progress.
While Johnston is playing at Karen Country Club for the first time this week, he did compete at the Magical Kenya Open last year and is feeling comfortable adjusting to the challenge of getting distances correct at altitude.
“You’ve just got to hit your ball around and keep it inside the tree line," Johnston added. "The ball goes so far here.
“There’s pretty high elevation in Montana too so it’s a little bit like home even though I’m on the other side of the world.”
By comparison, Law is a relative expert when it comes to navigating the old-school layout at Karen having competed at this venue on five previous occasions.
While there has been rain and thunderstorms in the lead-up to the tournament, the DP World Tour winner is sticking to a strategy that puts a premium on accuracy off the tee.
“This week it's slightly softer than what it's been in the past, but I don't think that really changes my core strategy,” he said.
“I think generally this is a golf course you can't really try and overpower.
“So, we were not conservative, but just smart off the tee, just making sure we had second shots to the green and I think if your wedge play is good then you can score.”
