Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club’s Njoroge Kibugu made a strong start during the opening round of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing Thika Greens Golf Resort.
He carded a flawless 8-under-par 64.
Kibugu’s bogey-free round included birdies on holes 1, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, and 18.
He finished four shots ahead of Edwin Mudanyi from Karen Country Club, who returned a solid 4-under-par 68.
“It was a brilliant round,” said Kibugu.
“Everything worked well today, especially my putting. This puts me in a good position heading into round two. I’ll try to repeat what I did today,” he said.
He added, “I haven’t played in two months. I came here with no big expectations. I’ve been working on staying patient, and it’s good to see that paying off. Hopefully, it continues tomorrow.”
Mudanyi sits one stroke ahead of Kenya’s top amateur, Michael Karanga.
Karanga shot a 3-under-par 69 to claim third place.
Five players are tied for fourth at 2-under-par 70.
They include Tanzania’s Abdallah Dullah, Uganda’s Ronald Rugumayo, and Kenyans Dismas Indiza, Daniel Nduva, and Simon Ngige.
It was generally a low-scoring day as 17 players from the field of 76 returned scores of par or better.
Uganda’s Rugumayo was happy with his performance.
“Two-under for the day—I’ll take it,” he said.
“The leader has set the pace, so I know what to work on.”
He also praised the Sunshine East Africa Swing. “Playing in these events is a dream come true. I flew in from South Africa just to compete. We haven’t had many such events in the region, which has affected our performance at big tournaments like the Kenya Open. I urge all regional pros to take advantage of this tour.”
Round two tees off at 8:00 a.m. Players will be fighting to make the cut and earn a share of the KES 2 million prize fund.
The Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing was launched in March.
It marks the Sunshine Tour’s entry into Kenya and the region. The tour provides a platform for professional and elite amateur golfers to play in top-level events.
Players earn Sunshine Development Tour points, with chances to qualify for South Africa’s Big Easy Tour.
They also gain Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, helping them progress in the global golf scene.