Golf: Wangai, Kibugu to headline Sunshine Development Tour seventh round

Kenyan pros John Wangai and Njoroge Kibugu will head into the final round of the seventh leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, tied for the lead on 7-under-par 137, after an eventful second day of play at the VetLab Sports Club in Nairobi.

Wangai produced one of the standout rounds of the tournament, firing an impressive 6-under-par 66 to climb up the leaderboard. Teeing off from the 10th, the Sigona Golf Club player picked up four straight birdies on the 12th, 13th,14th, and 15th holes, dropped a shot on the 16th, and added another birdie on the 18th.

On his return nine, Wangai kept his momentum going with back-to-back birdies on the 1st and 2nd holes, dropped a shot on the 3rd, but closed strongly with another birdie on the 6th to complete a round of 6-under par, the lowest score of the day.

Reflecting on his performance, Wangai said, “Today I hit the ball well off the tee and my putting was perfect. I started on the back nine, and on this course, holes 9 and 10 are very tight. However, I held steady, then went on to hit four back-to-back birdies from hole number 12, which gave me momentum.

On the pressure of heading to the final round atop the leaderboard, Wangai said, “I have been in the lead where there is pressure many times before, so I will just keep myself calm and enjoy the round tomorrow. I will keep it the way it was today, with little to no change. Irrespective of whether I win or not, if I play six under par tomorrow, it will be a good round for me.”

Sharing the top spot is Njoroge Kibugu, who carded another solid round of 4-under par 68 to keep himself firmly in contention for what would be his record third Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing title.

Kibugu had a stellar front nine, carding a birdie on the 3rd and a brilliant eagle on the 7th to turn in an impressive 33. On the back nine, he maintained his composure, picking up birdies on the 12th and 15th to finish his day tied for the lead on 7-under par.

Speaking after his round, Njoroge said, “It was a tough day and I had to stay patient, dealing with a stomach upset, but I kept it together and I am happy with the way I kept it together. I was hitting a lot of greens, but I was being conservative to retain my energy.”

"I plan to stay patient, same as today, and I believe the birdies will fall. I hope to give myself opportunities by hitting greens to hopefully come out on top. Being ahead is beneficial for me, and pressure is a privilege; I am happy to be in this position. My goal is to keep doing what I have been doing, and hopefully I can come out with a win," he added.

Just one shot behind the pair is Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera, who continued his impressive run, carding 4-under par 68 for a tournament total of 6-under par 138, just one shot off the lead.

His round featured birdies on the 1st, 6th, and 7th holes, offset by bogeys on the 3rd and 5th. On the turn, he found further success with birdies on the 10th, 14th, and 15th to keep himself well within reach of the leaders.

“Today’s round was good. I corrected some of my mistakes from yesterday. I hit more fairways, and my putting was much better. My plan for the final day is to stay consistent, hit fairways, and putt well. I actually prefer being the one chasing rather than being chased; it takes off some pressure, so let’s see how tomorrow goes.”

Veteran pro Dismas Indiza from Kakamega Sports Club sits in fourth place after a fine round of 5-under par 67, taking his total to 5-under par 139. Indiza’s round included birdies on the 4th, 7th, 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 18th holes, with his only blemishes coming on the 11th and 12th.

Tied for fifth are David Wakhu of Golf Park and Greg Snow of Muthaiga Golf Club, both finishing the day at 3-under par 141.

Wakhu’s round featured birdies on the 1st, 9th, 13th, 15th, and 18th holes, with only two bogeys on the 7th and 10th for a 3-under par 69 finish.

Snow, who had started the day as the overnight leader, found the going tougher in round two. His front nine saw bogeys on the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th with a single birdie on the 5th. On the back nine, he recovered with birdies on the 11th and 12th, but further bogeys on the 14th and 16th saw him close on 1-over par 73, dropping him down to tied fifth.

Vipingo Ridge Golf Resort’s Naom Wafula was the only female golfer to make the cut, further continuing her impressive form on the tour since turning professional.

A total of 30 players have made the cut to play in Tuesday’s final round, where they will battle for the Masters title, and a share of the Ksh. 2 million prize purse of which the winner will take home a sumptuous Ksh. 400,000. In addition to this, the players will be aiming to earn crucial Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), and World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) which are crucial for progression into major tournaments.

In addition to this, players will also earn Safari Tour Order of Merit points, all of which count towards qualification for the 2026 Magical Kenya Open.

The Masters at VetLab is the seventh leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour of South Africa.

The tournament is also supported by EABL’s Johnnie Walker brand, Pure Travel, Magical Kenya, and The Golf Company.