By KPC Reporter
Njoroge Kibugu of Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club delivered a composed and courageous performance to clinch the Nyali leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, following a tense final round at the Nyali Golf & Country Club in Mombasa.
The 22-year-old posted a final-round score of one-over-par 72, closing the 54-hole tournament at two-over-par 215 with rounds of 75, 68, and 72.
His steady play edged out Rwanda’s Celestin Nsazuwera and local favorite Daniel Nduva, who both finished just one shot behind at three-over-par 216.
Kibugu began the final round paired with veteran Greg Snow and got off to a promising start, birdieing the opening hole.
However, he dropped a shot on the third before recovering with another birdie at the fifth.
His momentum faltered with back-to-back bogeys on the seventh and eighth, sending him to the turn at 37.
The back nine proved to be a test of resilience.
Bogeys at the 10th and 12th threatened to derail his round, but he rallied with birdies on the 14th and 15th.
A bogey on the 16th was quickly erased by a crucial birdie on the par-5 17th, which ultimately sealed his victory.
“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,” Kibugu said after lifting the trophy.
“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.”
He went on: “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.”
With this win, Kibugu became the first player to claim two victories on the East Africa Swing and earned KES 400,000, the winner’s share of the KES 2 million prize purse.
Home course
Daniel Nduva, playing on his home course, thrilled the local crowd with a composed final-round score of one-under-par 70, the second-best round of the day.
He opened with birdies on the first and fifth holes, offset by bogeys on the fourth and seventh.
On the back nine, he added birdies at the 11th, 13th, and 15th, but a bogey on the 17th proved costly.
“I am happy with my performance,” Nduva said.
“I got off to a good start, a birdie on the first hole, and after five holes I was under par.’
Nduva added that he 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.”
Rwanda’s Celestin Nsazuwera, who entered the final round tied for the lead, played a steady front nine with a single bogey on the sixth.
His hopes dimmed with a double bogey on the 12th, though he briefly revived his chances with a birdie on the 17th.
A closing bogey on the 18th, however, left him one shot shy of a playoff. “The position I got wasn’t what I expected, but I take it,” Nsazuwera reflected.
“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.”
He added: “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.”
Both Nsazuwera and Nduva earned KES 179,000 for their runner-up finishes.
Endurance
Tied for fourth at five-over-par 218 were Nigeria’s Olapade Sunday and Kenya’s David Wakhu of Golf Park.
Olapade endured a rough front nine with bogeys on the second, fourth, and fifth holes but came alive on the back nine, firing birdies at the 11th, 13th, 16th, and 17th, with only one additional bogey on the 14th.
Wakhu, who had shared the lead after round two, struggled with a double bogey on the seventh and another on the 12th, along with bogeys on the fourth, 16th, and 18th.
Despite birdies on the ninth and 15th, the damage was too much to recover from.
Finishing tied for sixth at eight-over-par 221 were Samuel Njoroge of Kenya Railway Golf Club and amateur Adel Balala.
Njoroge posted rounds of 73, 76, and 72, while Balala impressed with scores of 76, 71, and 74, earning recognition as the highest-placed amateur in the tournament.
The Nyali event featured the top 30 players and ties from a 70-player starting field, with Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points and a KES 2 million prize purse up for grabs.
The tournament was sponsored by Kenya Breweries through its premium Johnnie Walker brand, Magical Kenya (Kenya Tourism Board), and other partners.
With the Nyali leg concluded, the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing now heads to the South Coast for its fourth leg, scheduled for August 9-11 at Diamonds Leisure Beach & Golf Resort, as the race for the Order of Merit intensifies.