Windsor Golf and Country Club professional Njoroge Kibugu fired a brilliant 6-under-par 64 to take the first-round lead at the Absa Invitational Series, the final leg of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing, held at Karen Country Club.
Kibugu’s round featured three birdies on the front nine at holes 1, 7, and 9, with bogeys on the 6th and 8th.
On the back nine, he added a birdie on the 10th, dropped shots on the 11th and 13th, and closed strongly with birdies on 16 and 17 to finish a stellar opening round on the par-70 layout.
Reflecting on his performance, Kibugu said, “It was pretty smooth sailing today. I had a couple of bogeys, but finishing six under is a good start. The course played well—though the greens weren’t the smoothest—but I’ll take the score. Tomorrow, I’ll stick to the same game plan and hope for the best.”
Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera trails by one shot in second place after a 5-under-par round that included birdies on holes 1, 2, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 17, offset by a bogey on 11 and a double bogey on 13.
Nsanzuwera said, “I got off to a good start with a birdie on the 10th. I made mistakes on 11 and 13, but stayed focused and avoided further slip-ups. Five under is a solid start. I really want to win the overall title—it would be my third on this tour—and winning the final event could earn me a Sunshine Tour card.”
Third place is shared by Isaiah Otuke and Johnny Limb, both on 3-under.
Otuke’s round featured eight birdies against five bogeys, while Limb recorded five birdies and two bogeys. Limb, a local favorite, said, “The course was playing fair, and I’m happy with my score. It feels comfortable playing at home—I’ve been here since I was a kid, so I know my way around and felt confident coming into this tournament.”
Tied for fifth on 2-under are Daniel Nduva, Mike Kisia, Kenneth Bollo, Uganda’s Otile Ronald, and Nigeria’s Kamalo Bako, all within striking distance as the second-round approaches.
The Absa Invitational Series at Karen Country Club offers a prize purse of Ksh 2 million, along with Official World Golf Ranking points and Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points, key in determining qualification for the Sunshine Development Tour Africa Championship—a crucial pathway to earning Sunshine Tour membership.
