-The Sunshine Development Tour-East Africa Swing now moves to Ruiru Sports Club for the second leg which will take place from June 9th to 11th, 2025.
MAARUFU MOHAMED-GOLFNEWSLINKS.
Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club’s Njoroge Kibugu capped off a dominant performance with a blemish-free final round of 5-under par 67 gross to claim the title at the first leg of the Sunshine Development Tour-East Africa Swing hosted at Thika Greens Golf Resort in Kiambu County.
His three-day total of 15-under par 201 gross (64, 70, 67) saw him finish five shots clear of the chasing pack and walk away with the Ksh. 400,000 winner’s cheque.
The 21-year-old delivered a composed round on the final day playing a steady front nine with a birdie at the par-5 fourth before switching gears on the back nine with birdies at the 10th, 14th, 16th, and 17th holes.
“It feels great to kick off the season with a win. It was definitely tough going into the back nine as Celestin was right on my heels. But I managed to hold strong and pull through. There were definitely a few nerves, especially when the putts weren’t dropping early on. I just kept reminding myself to stay patient. Eventually, they started falling, especially in the final five holes, and that really helped seal the round. Winning always feels amazing. It doesn’t come often in golf. Having my friends and fellow pros there to watch made it even more special. It’s a great start to the year,” said Kibugu.
Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera, the Qualifying School winner in March mounted a spirited challenge throughout the week, returning a final round of 4-under par 68 gross to finish second on 10-under par, 206 gross (73, 65, 68) and went home with Ksh. 214,000.
The Kigali Golf Club professional began his final round in blazing form, firing four birdies on the front nine at the 1 st, 2 nd, 4 th, and 6 th , before dropping a shot at the par-4-3rd holes.
On the back nine he stayed steady adding one more birdie on the 14th and playing par for the rest.
“I gave it my best throughout the week. Today, I came out strong on the front nine and managed to close the gap. I was only two shots behind at the turn and really tried to keep my pace on the back nine. My game is improving here in Kenya, and I’m happy with my performance. The goal now is to keep working hard and break into the top 40 on the Sunshine Development Tour,” said Nsanzuwera.
Sigona Golf Club’s John Wangai, President of the Professional Golfers of Kenya closed with a strong 4-under par 68 gross for a total of 8-under par 208 gross (73, 67, 68) to finish third.
His round was defined by a mixed front nine birdies at the 4th and 6th were offset by bogeys at the 3rd, 7th, and 9th.
Wangai who earned Ksh. 144,700 for his exploits came alive on the back nine delivering birdies on four straight holes (10th–13th) before dropping a shot at the 15th and finishing in style with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes.
“It’s been a solid week. I made a few swing changes at the end of last year, and I’m starting to see the results now. My iron play was strong throughout, and although I struggled a bit with putting early in the week, I managed to turn that around today. Being the final round, I knew there was no room for recovery, so I pushed myself hard and was pleased with the finish, “said Wangai.
Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s John Lejirma finished as the highest-ranked Amateur in the tournament returning to a final round of 3-under par 69 gross for a total of 5-under par 211 gross (71, 71, 69).
Veteran Kakamega Golf Club Professional Dismas Indiza posted a solid final round of 3-under par 69 gross to close the tournament at 4-under par 212 gross (70, 73, 69) securing a top-five finish.
There was a three-way tie for sixth at 3-under par 213 gross with Daniel Nduva (Nyali Golf Club), David Wakhu (Golf Park), and Edwin Mudanyi (Karen Country Club) sharing the honors.
Golf Park’s Jacob Okello (2-under), Ndumberi Golf Club’s leading Amateur Michael Karanga (1-under), and Erick Obura (Golf Park, 1-under), were the other players to finish the tournament in red figures.
Kenya Open Golf Limited’s Director, Patrick Obath said, “I want to laud the organizers for putting this together, we have been lacking such a tour for a while. Discussions are already underway on how we can make this tour as a qualifier for the Kenya Open.”
The Sunshine Development Tour-East Africa Swing now moves to Ruiru Sports Club for the second leg which will take place from June 9th to 11th, 2025 as regional professionals and elite Amateurs look to build on their performances in pursuit of Sunshine Tour points, Big Easy Tour opportunities, and Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) recognition.
ENDS.
NOTE;
WANT YOUR GOLF/SPORTS/BUSINESS/ENVIRONMENT/HEALTH/OPINIONS/SPONSORED CONTENTS OR BUSINESS PROMO FEATURED IN THIS SITE?
KINDLY CONTACT US.
mmaarufu@gmail.com.
golfnewslinks@gmail.com.
Phone/What’s up…+254726614604.
+254722415598.
