NCBA Royal Classic Champion Daniel Nduva poses with his trophy.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Nyali Golf & Country Club professional Daniel Nduva produced a remarkable back-nine comeback to win the NCBA Royal Classic, the second leg of the 2026 Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, played at Royal Nairobi Golf Club. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.

Nduva, who began the final round tied for second place, carded a level-par 72 to finish the tournament on 3-under par 213, securing his maiden Sunshine Development Tour title and the winner’s cheque of KES 400,000 from the tournament’s KES 2 million prize purse.

The victory was anything but straightforward for the coastal golfer, who endured a difficult opening nine. His front nine featured bogeys on the 1st and 8th holes as well as a costly double-bogey on the 7th, leaving him with work to do heading into the closing stretch.

However, Nduva mounted a spirited recovery on the back nine, sinking crucial birdies on the 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 17th holes to claw his way back into contention and eventually emerge victorious.

Speaking after his win, Nduva credited his driving and resilience for helping him secure the title.

“It feels really good to get this win. The front nine was challenging and I had a few unlucky breaks, but I stayed patient and kept believing in my game. On the back nine, I hit every fairway and every green, and that gave me the confidence to attack the pins and create birdie opportunities.”

“My driving was probably the strongest part of my game today. When you’re hitting the driver well, it gives you confidence throughout the rest of your game. I managed to make five birdies on the back nine and that ultimately made the difference.”

“Last year I struggled with injury, so to come back and win again means a lot to me. This victory is a reminder that golf is about staying patient, fighting through the difficult moments and believing in yourself even when things are not going your way.”

NCBA Royal Classic Champion Daniel Nduva receives his trophy from Nelly Wainaina, NCBA Group Director for Marketing, Communication and Citizenship.

For his efforts, Nduva pocketed KES 400,000 from the tournament’s KES 2 million prize purse, in addition to valuable Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points.

The battle for the title remained tight throughout the final round, with six players eventually sharing second place on 1-under par 215.

The group comprised Kenya’s John Lejirma, Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera, David Wakhu, Greg Snow, amateur Adel Balala, and Nigeria’s Sunday Olapade, who had started the day as the overnight leader.

For their performances, the six players each earned KES 114,833 from the prize purse.

Commenting on his performance, Snow said: “I’m pleased with the way I fought throughout the week. Royal Nairobi is always a demanding course and you have to stay patient because opportunities can come at any time. I gave myself chances, but a few shots here and there made the difference. Finishing tied for second is still a positive result and gives me confidence heading into the next events.”

Lejirma, who continued his impressive start to life as a professional golfer, said:

“It was a solid week overall. There are definitely positives I can take from my game, even though I would have loved to get over the line. The competition was very strong and it came down to small margins. As a new professional, every tournament is an opportunity to learn, improve and continue building momentum for the season.”

Amateur golfer Adel Balala said: “It’s encouraging to be in contention against such a strong professional field. I learned a lot over the three days, especially about managing pressure when you’re near the top of the leaderboard. I’ll take the lessons from this week and continue working hard on my game.”

On his part, overnight leader Sunday Olapade said: “It was a tough final round and unfortunately I couldn’t maintain the momentum from yesterday, but that’s golf. The competition was excellent and I enjoyed the challenge. I’ll take the positives from the week and continue working hard as the season progresses.”

The NCBA Royal Classic attracted a strong field of 96 local and international professionals and amateurs from across Africa and beyond, all competing for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points.

The tournament also marked the second event of the 2026/27 Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing season following the opening leg at Thika Sports Club, won by Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera.

Attention now shifts to the next leg of the Tour at Vetlab Sports Club this Sunday, 14th to 16th June, as players continue their pursuit of Sunshine Tour progression opportunities and valuable Order of Merit points in what promises to be another highly competitive season.

Adel Balala follows the path of his his tee shot during the opening round of the NCBA Royal Classic, the second leg of the Sunshine Development Tour at Royal Nairobi Golf Club.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Nyali Golf & Country Club amateur Adel Balala produced a superb opening-round performance to take the lead after the first round of the NCBA Royal Classic, the second leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing season being played at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.

Balala carded an impressive 6-under par 66 to establish a one-shot advantage heading into Monday’s second round.

The Kenyan amateur made his intentions clear early in the round, producing a flawless opening nine that featured an eagle on the par-five third hole and a birdie on the seventh to make the turn at 3-under par.

He carried that momentum into the back nine with another birdie at the 10th before a bogey at the 11th briefly threatened to stall his progress.

Balala responded impressively, picking up further birdies at the 12th, 15th, 16th and 18th holes to offset another dropped shot on the 14th and finish the day atop a highly competitive leaderboard.

Speaking after his round, Balala said:

“I’m very pleased with how I played today. I stayed patient throughout the round, gave myself chances and managed to take advantage of most of them. The eagle on the third gave me a lot of confidence early on, and from there I focused on staying disciplined and sticking to my game plan.

“It’s only the first round, so there’s still a lot of golf to be played, but it’s always nice to put yourself in a good position heading into the next two days.”

Muthaiga Golf Club’s Greg Snow in action during the opening round of the NCBA Royal Classic, the second leg of the Sunshine Development Tour at Royal Nairobi Golf Club.

Sharing second place is a three-way tie of Greg Snow, Daniel Nduva and Nelson Mudanyi, with the trio all carding impressive rounds of 5-under par 67.

Muthaiga Golf Club’s Snow recovered from an early bogey on the third hole in spectacular fashion, reeling off four consecutive birdies from the fifth through to the eighth to vault himself into contention. He added further birdies on the 14th, 15th and 18th holes, with his only other blemish coming at the par-four 12th.

The strong finish leaves the former Sunshine Development Tour winner firmly in the hunt for his first title of the season.

Speaking after his round, Snow said:

“It was a solid day overall. I didn’t get off to the perfect start, but I responded well and managed to build some momentum with a good stretch of birdies on the front nine.

“The course is in excellent condition and rewards good golf, so the key is to remain patient and take the opportunities when they come. I’m happy with where I am on the leaderboard, but the focus now is on staying consistent and giving myself a chance going into the final round.”

Daniel Nduva follows the path of his his tee shot during the opening round of the NCBA Royal Classic, the second leg of the Sunshine Development Tour at Royal Nairobi Golf Club

On his part, Nyali Golf & Country Club pro Daniel Nduva’s round featured birdies on the fifth, 10th, 15th and 18th holes and a superb eagle on the 7th. His only dropped shot came on the first hole.

Mudanyi, meanwhile, produced one of the most aggressive rounds of the day, sinking six birdies on the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 11th, 12th and 15th and 16th holes. Despite bogeys on the 8th and 13th, the Muthaiga Golf Club professional remained firmly in contention and heads into the second round just one shot behind the leader.

Ken Abuto rounds off the top five on 2-under par 70, while England’s Elliot Bradley and Uganda’s Abraham Ainamani are the highest-placed international players after both carded rounds of 1-under par 71.

The tournament has attracted a strong field of 96 golfers from 11 countries, including professionals, elite amateurs, ladies and junior golfers competing for valuable Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points.

Following round two action on Monday, the top 30 players plus ties will proceed to play the final round on Tuesday where they will battle for the title and a share of the KES 2 million prize money on offer.