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.

Cherono Kipkorir in action during the Royal Nairobi Golf Club NCBA Golf Series qualifier.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

The twelfth leg of the 2026 Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) Series is set to take place this weekend with the NCBA Coronation & Bendor Trophy at the Nakuru Golf Club starting on Friday, May 29 through to Sunday, May 31 with KES 500,000 up for grabs. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.

Fresh from winning the Ronald Marshall & Tobby Gibson Cup at the Njoro Country Club last weekend, Elvis Muigua will lead a field of over 100 elite amateurs for the battle of a new winner this year in the absence of last year’s champion John Lejirma who has since turned pro.

The field will also have Adel Balala, William Odek, Uganda’s Joseph Kasozi, Elly Barno, Rwanda’s Felix Dusabe and John Kamaisi who is second on the 2026 KAGC rankings. Kellie Gachaga and Mercy Nyanchama will highlight the women in the competition alongside home player Emma Pennington.

The 2026 KAGC standings remain tightly contested, with Jay Sandhu leading the leaderboard on 560.00 points. John Kamaisi sits second on 373.20 points, followed by Junaid Ayaz Manji in third with 349.52 points. Elvis Muigua is fourth on 347.26 points, while Amos Odongo rounds out the top five on 326.29 points.

At the same time, the NCBA Golf Series continues with the Moi Airbase Mug on Saturday, May 30, while the NCBA Faldo Junior Tour Kenya Championship runs from Saturday, May 30 to Monday, June 1.

Elly Limo poses after winning the NCBA Winston Churchill 2026.

More than 80 Golfers will converge at Moi Air Base seeking top honours and valuable qualification slots for the season-ending Grand Finale.

Speaking ahead of the weekend’s golfing activities, NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora highlighted the wholesome approach to the sport, noting that there is a clear pathway now.

“This is yet another weekend where we have activities from the junior level to the elite amateur level. Again, more golfers will have the chance to qualify for the NCBA Golf Series Grand Finale this weekend. Junior development is a core part of NCBA’s sponsorship strategy,” Gachora said. “This Series is a platform where young talent is discovered, nurtured and celebrated, and we look forward to a good weekend,” he added.

Qualification to the Grand Finale, set to be held at the prestigious Karen Country Club on November 27, will be earned by the Overall Gross Winner, Men’s Gross Winner, Lady Gross Winner, Division 2 Men Winner, Division 2 Lady Winner, Division 3 Winner, and the leading Junior.