-Indiza sealed the win with a birdie on the par-4,18th hole, as Lejirma could only manage a par, earning Indiza the Ksh. 400,000 winner’s cheque from the Ksh. 2 million prize purse.
MAARUFU MOHAMED-GOLFNEWSLINKS.
Kakamega Sports Club’s Dismas Indiza produced a dramatic comeback to floor Royal Nairobi’s John Lejirma in a sudden-death playoff and secure victory in the Sunshine Development Tour-East Africa Swing that ended at Ruiru Sports Club, Kenya course on Wednesday.
Starting the day five shots behind, Indiza capitalized on Lejirma’s early mistakes, carding a level-par 72 gross to tie at 4-under par 212 gross after regulation play.
In the playoff, Indiza sealed the win with a birdie on the par-4,18th hole, as Lejirma could only manage a par, earning Indiza the Ksh. 400,000 winner’s cheque from the Ksh. 2 million prize purse.
Indiza made a strong start to his round, firing birdies on the 2nd, 6th, 8th, and 9th holes, with a lone bogey on the 7th.
On the back nine, he dropped shots at the 12th and 13th but recovered with clutch birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to close his round at level-par 72, tying Lejirma at 4-under par 212 gross to force the playoff.
“It feels great to win again. I stayed patient, even when things got tight in the middle of the round. I knew if I kept giving myself chances, something would happen. The playoff was all about composure, and I’m glad I executed the birdie on 18. This is a great win for me, especially with such a strong field and many top amateurs and young players coming up strongly on this tour,” said Indiza.
Lejirma, who had carried a commanding five shot lead into the final day, struggled early with two double bogeys in his first three holes to surrender his advantage.
A bogey on the 4th hole followed before a birdie at the 7th hole offered a brief recovery and picked up another birdie on the 14th hole but closed his round with bogeys on 16 th and 17 th holes to finish the on a round score of 5-over par 77 gross, ultimately falling into the playoff.
“It was a tough day. I didn’t start well and made a few costly mistakes early. I tried to fight back but couldn’t fully recover. Credit to Indiza for staying solid and finishing strongly. There are a lot of positives to take from this week, and I’ll keep building from here,” said Lejirma.
Rizwan Charania and Samuel Njoroge shared third place, both finishing at 1-under par 215 gross for the tournament with Charania playing a consistent final round, carding a level-par 72 gross with pars across all 18 holes.
“It was a steady week for me. I played solid golf, kept mistakes to a minimum, and stayed patient out there. The conditions were fair but challenging, so I’m pleased with how I managed my game. Finishing tied for third is a good result, and I’ll take the positives into the next events on the swing,” said Charania.
Njoroge, who started the day at 3-under par after strong earlier rounds, posted a 2-over par 74 gross on the final day to slip into the tie for third.
Brothers Mutahi Kibugu and Njoroge Kibugu tied for fifth at even-par 216 gross with Mutahi producing one of the best rounds of the tournament with a brilliant 6-under par 66 gross to climb the leaderboard, making birdies on the 6th, 8th, 9th, and 15th holes while avoiding any dropped shots on the day. Njoroge, the Thika Greens leg winner finished with birdies on the 3rd, 11th, and 18th holes but was set back by bogeys on the 2nd and 9th holes, along with a double bogey on the 11th hole.
Vipingo Ridge Golf Resort’s Naomi Wafula once again led the women’s field finishing strongly in eighth place overall with a total of 2-over par 218 gross after another steady round.
Wafula maintained her form throughout the tournament, reinforcing her status as one of the region’s top amateur prospects.
“I’m happy with how I played throughout the week. My goal was to stay consistent and give myself chances, and I managed to do that. It’s great to finish inside the top 10 in such a strong field. Every tournament on this tour gives me more confidence and valuable experience to keep improving my game,” said Wafula.
Rwanda’s Celestine Nsanzuwera finished as the highest-ranked foreign player closing his tournament at 1-over par 217 gross to claim seventh place on the final leaderboard, capping his week with an impressive final round of 4-under par 68 gross, one of the lowest rounds of the day.
In yet another memorable moment, Professional Golfers of Kenya Chairman John Wangai recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3 11th hole marking the second ace of the tournament following Eugine Wafula’s hole-in-one on the same hole during the opening round.
The Ruiru leg wraps up another competitive edition of the Sunshine Development Tour-East Africa Swing as regional players continue their quest for Sunshine Tour points and valuable Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.
ENDS.
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