Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club’s Njoroge Kibugu, clinched his second title on the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing after a commanding performance at the third leg held at Nyali Golf and Country Club.
The 22-year-old showcased resilience and consistency across three rounds, carding scores of 75, 68, and 72 to finish at two-over par 215, edging out Rwanda’s Celestin Nsazuwera and home favorite Daniel Nduva, who tied for second at 3-over-par 216.
This marks Njoroge’s second triumph in the series, having also secured victory in the tour’s opening leg at Thika Greens Golf Resort in June.
“It feels good to win for the second time in this tour and in the fashion I did. I am over the moon about it,” said Njoroge.
“Everything today was emotion — happy, angry, sad. Towards the end my caddie gave me a lot of motivation. From the 10th, my swing wasn’t great today. I was battling to get the holes right. It’s interesting waiting to find out if you’re going to be the winner or not. I feel like I did enough to win, but I was prepared for any eventuality nonetheless,” Kibugu said after lifting the trophy, becoming the first player to win the tour twice.
The Nyali performance earned him KES 400,000, the winner’s share of the KES 2 million prize purse.
Hot on his heels home favourite Daniel Nduva and Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera, who tied for second place on three-over par 216.
Nduva shot steady rounds of 73, 73, and a final day 70, while Nsanzuwera’s impressive second-round 68 kept him in contention despite a closing 74.
“I am happy with my performance. I got off to a good start, a birdie on the first hole, and after five holes I was under par,” he said/.
“I made some good birdies on the 11th, 13th and 15th which got me back into the lead, but coming down the stretch I made a silly mistake on 17 that cost me a bogey and first place. But all in all, I had a good week and I’m looking forward to Diani,” said Nduva, who finished runner-up at his home course.”
Nsazuwera, who entered the final round tied for the lead, played a steady front nine with a single bogey on the 6th.
The Kigali Golf Resort professional dropped two shots on the 12th, but briefly rekindled hope with a birdie at the 17th.
A closing bogey on the18th saw him fall just short of a playoff.
“The position I got wasn’t what I expected, but I take it. I got disappointed that I made some mistakes on some holes which cost me, especially hole 12 where I double bogeyed, and the last one where I made some wrong decisions. From the 18th tee, I thought I was one shot behind, which I wasn’t, so I aggressively went for birdie, but it wasn’t necessary. I overshot and that cost me.” said Nsazuwera, who now has two top three finishes on the East Africa Swing.
Both Nsazuwera and Nduva took home KES 179,000 each for their exploits.
Nigeria’s Sunday Olapade and Kenya’s David Wakhu shared fourth place on five-over par 218, with both players showing promise but falling short on the final stretch.
Further down the leaderboard, amateurs like Adel Balala impressed, tying for sixth with Samuel Njoroge Chege at eight-over 221, underscoring the depth of emerging talent in the region.
Rounding off the top ten were Tony Omuli, Kenneth Bollo, and Matthew Wahome, who all battled tough conditions but remained competitive throughout the tournament.
The event featured the top 30 players and ties from the 70-player starting field, with KES 2 million in prize money and Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points on offer.
The Nyali event was sponsored by Kenya Breweries through its premium spirit’s brand Johnnie Walker brand, Magical Kenya (Kenya Tourism Board) and other partners.
The Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing now moves to the South Coast for the fourth leg, scheduled for August 9–11 at Diamonds Leisure Beach & Golf Resort, as the race for the Order of Merit intensifies.