Rwanda’s Celestin Nsazuwera and Kenya’s David Wakhu will head into the final round of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing in Nyali tied at the top, after delivering solid second-round performances under friendlier weather conditions at the Nyali Golf and Country Club.
Nsazuwera fired an impressive 3-under-par 68 to climb from 3-over to even-par 142, thanks to a composed display that saw him overcome an early bogey on the 2nd with birdies on the 3rd and 5th.
He then added four more birdies on the back nine—at the 10th, 11th, 13th, and 17th—offset slightly by bogeys on the 12th and 15th.
Speaking on his round, Nsazuwera said: “I started struggling with the wind a bit but stuck to my game plan. My focus was on hitting fairways and avoiding three-putts. The bogey on two was frustrating, but I bounced back quickly with birdies on three and five. I reminded myself to relax and not force anything. The three-putt on 15 was not part of the plan, but overall, I’m proud of how I played. Tomorrow, I’ll try to stay consistent and clean it up.”
Wakhu, representing Golf Park, followed his opening 72 with a level-par 71 to join Nsazuwera atop the leaderboard.
He made a birdie at the 5th and was steady through most of the round, despite setbacks on the 10th and 16th. His strong finish, with birdies on the final two holes, kept him in the hunt.
“I had a nice flow in today’s round until the 10th when I made a bogey,” Wakhu said.
“That was a wake-up call. I had to reset mentally. I hit a great shot on the 15th just two feet from the pin but missed the birdie. That frustrated me a bit, and I dropped another on 16. But I reminded myself to stay focused, and that helped me finish strong with birdies on the last two holes. I’ll stick to my plan tomorrow, steady and focused.”
One shot behind the leaders is Njoroge Kibugu, winner of the Ruiru leg, who carded a 2-under 69 to move to 1-over-par (143).
After an opening bogey on the 1st, he quickly got into rhythm with birdies on the 2nd, 5th, and 9th. He added two more on the back nine before finishing with a string of pars.
“When I bogeyed the first hole, I knew it was a sloppy bogey and I knew it was just a mental error, and I took it as nothing. And bounced back on the next hole and knew I had it going. On the last hole, I hit a six iron. It was the right club. I just didn’t commit and I should have committed. I think tomorrow will truly be a mental battle. All in all, the course is tremendously. I think Celestin is a tremendous player. We’re all good players. I think tomorrow it comes down to whoever can hold their own.”
Overnight leader Jastas Madoya dropped to fourth after a 2-over 73, struggling with five bogeys despite three birdies.
Muthaiga’s Greg Snow is in fifth at 3-over-par (145) after matching Madoya’s round of 73.
Snow’s highlight came at the par-5 17th where he made eagle, complemented by a birdie on 7, though mistakes on five other holes limited his progress.
The cut was set at 13-over-par, with 30 players making it through to the final round.
The players will now compete for a KES 2 million prize fund and valuable OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking) points.
Among those progressing are Vipingo Ridge’s Naom Wafula and Golf Park’s Margaret Njoki, who continue to represent the women’s field with distinction.
Wafula, in particular, has impressed in her early days as a professional.
The final round tees off Wednesday morning, with the spotlight firmly on who will emerge as champion in Nyali.