-It’s a shake up as John Kamais climbs to second while Elvis Muigua holds third after the lakeside Kisumu battle.
-Sandhu opens 400-point gap as Coast Star Adel Balala stays top 5, while the NCBA Open reshaped top 10, with Rwanda’s Hitayezu breaking into top.
-The KAGC ranking system awards points based on finishing position across 25+ events nationwide, with majors like Kenya Amateur Stroke play and Kenya Amateur Matchplay carrying double points.
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Kisumu’s Nyanza Golf Club may be famous for hippos grazing the fairways, but it is Jay Sandhu who is proving to be the beast to beat in the 2026 Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series.
Following the grueling NCBA Nyanza Open ‘Hippo Pot’ 2026 last weekend, Kenya Golf Union (KGU) have released the latest KAGC Player Rankings and the picture is clear, Jay Sandhu is running away with it.
The long-hitting amateur from the strong western circuit has amassed 1,535.00 points to sit comfortably at the summit, a massive 402-point gap over second-placed John Kamaisi.
Sandhu’s consistency has been phenomenal this season, with top-5 finishes in Nakuru, Sigona and the Kenya Amateur Stroke play, and his performance in Kisumu, where he survived the windy, hippo-infested back nine, only solidified his lead.
Chasing him is John Kamais on 1,133.00 points, known for his calm temperament and solid short game, leapt from fourth to second after a stellar runner-up finish in Nyanza and, he is now the closest challenger and the man most likely to mount a title challenge.
The Nyanza Open overall winner Elvis Muigua is third with 1,074.50 points and as the young Kiambu Golf Club prodigy who turned heads when he made cut at the Magical Kenya Open earlier this year, Muigua remains in the title conversation despite a modest Hippo Pot.
His season has been built on early wins including the Trans Nzoia Open and if he finds form in the second half, the 58.5-point gap to Kamais can be closed in one event.
The Coastal flavor in the top 10 is provided by the evergreen Adel Taufiq Balala, the Mombasa-based former Kenya number one, who sits fourth with 814.50 points.
Balala, the Nyali Golf and Country Club legend, missed the Nyanza Open but his earlier triumph at the Coast Open and consistent points at Mombasa ensures he remains in contention for a top-3 finish and at 37, he is mentoring a new generation while still beating them.
At number five is Eugine Wafula with 695.16 points, followed closely by Josphat Rono with 664.35 points in sixth.
Wafula, has been the surprise package of 2026, using his power game to dominate long courses like Nyanza and Kitale.
Rono, is known as a Hippo Pot specialist, having won it in 2023 and his tied 6th in Kisumu kept him inside the elite bracket.
Seventh is Alex Mwangi with 594.85 points, the Railways Golf Club man whose precision off the tee has earned him valuable points despite struggling in windy Kisumu and he will be hoping for a better outing when the series returns to his home turf at Royal Nairobi next month.
The international spice comes at number eight is Jean D’Amour Hitayezu from Rwanda with 566.00 points.
The Kigali Golf Club star is the highest-ranked foreign player in the KAGC series this year and his inclusion in the top 10 proves the growing regional appeal of the KAGC.
His 4th place finish in Nyanza was the best by a foreigner this season and has pushed him ahead of several Kenyan veterans.
Closing the top 10 are Junaid Ayaz Manji with 554.73 points in ninth and Kamoza Longwe with 540.13 points in tenth.
Manji, the youngster from Muthaiga, is regarded as Kenya’s next big thing after his junior dominance, while Longwe, the Malawian based in Nakuru, continues to show that the KAGC is truly an East African series.
The KAGC ranking system awards points based on finishing position across 25+ events nationwide, with majors like Kenya Amateur Strokeplay and Kenya Amateur Matchplay carrying double points.
The top 6 at the end of November will earn automatic slots in Team Kenya for the 2027 Africa Amateur Team Championship and consideration for the Magical Kenya Open amateur slots.
With Sandhu now 400+ points clear, the battle has shifted to who makes the top 6, the gap between 4th Balala (814.50) and 10th Longwe (540.13) is just 274 points, meaning one win (worth 300 points at a regular event) can catapult a player from 10th to 4th.
For now, the man in the Titleist cap, Jay Sandhu remains the man to beat and as they say at Nyanza Golf Club, ‘avoid the hippos on the fairway and avoid Sandhu on the leaderboard.
2026 KAGC TOP 10 AFTER HIPPO POT.
Jay Sandhu-1535.00 points, John Kamais-1133.00 points, Elvis Muigua-1074.50 points, Adel Balala-814.50 points, Eugine Wafula-695.16 points, Josphat Rono-664.35 points, Alex Mwangi-594.85 points,
Jean D’Amour Hitayezu (RWA)-566.00 points, Junaid Manji-554.73 points, Kamoza Longwe-540.13 points.
ENDS.
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