Njoroge Kibugu in action at the Karen Country Club during Round One action of the the Absa Invitational Series, the final leg of the Sunshine Development Tour.

By DANIELLA APIYO

Windsor Golf and Country Club professional Njoroge Kibugu carded an impressive 6-under par 64 to take the early lead after the opening round of the Absa Invitational Series, the final leg of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing, at Karen Country Club. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.

Kibugu’s round featured three birdies on the front nine at the 1st, 7th and 9th holes, with dropped shots on the 6th and 8th. On the back nine, he picked up a birdie on the 10th before dropping shots on the 11th and 13th. He closed strongly with birdies on the 16th and 17th to sign off on a 64 on the par 70 Karen course.

Speaking after his round, Kibugu said, “It was pretty alright today, smooth sailing. I had two bogeys on the card but finishing at six under, I am happy with the round. The course played quite well. The greens are not the smoothest, but I will take the score. The strategy for tomorrow is to just stick to my game plan as I did today and just hope for the best.”

Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera follows his teeshot during Round One of the the Absa Invitational Series, the final leg of the Sunshine Development Tour at the Karen Country Club.

Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera sits second on the leaderboard after posting 5-under par. His round included birdies on holes 1, 2, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 17, with a bogey on the 11th and a double bogey on the 13th.

Commenting on his performance, Nsanzuwera said, “I started pretty well with a birdie on the tenth where I teed off. I made mistakes on eleven and thirteen, but I stayed focused and did not drop any more shots. Finishing five under is a good start. I really want to win the overall title because it would be my third win on the tour, and winning the final event would mean earning a Sunshine Tour card.”

Third place is shared by Isaiah Otuke and Johnny Limb, both on 3-under par. Otuke’s round featured birdies on the 2nd, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes, with bogeys on the 3rd, 7th, 11th, 13th and 15th holes.

Home player Johnny Limb tees off at the Karen Country Club during Round One action of the the Absa Invitational Series, the final leg of the Sunshine Development Tour.

Limb’s card included birdies on the 1st, 7th, 10th, 12th and 14th holes, with bogeys on the 13th and 15th holes.

Speaking after his round, Limb said, “The course was playing fair and I am happy with my score. It feels more comfortable playing at home. I have played here since I was a kid, so I know my way around and felt confident coming into this tournament.”

Tied for fifth place are Daniel Nduva, Mike Kisia, Kenneth Bollo, Uganda’s Otile Ronald and Nigeria’s Kamalo Bako with a score of 2-under, all within touching distance heading into the second round.

The Absa Invitational Series at Karen Country Club carries a prize purse of Ksh 2 million, along with Official World Golf Ranking points and Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points, which are crucial in determining qualification for the Sunshine Development Tour Africa Championship, a key pathway to earning Sunshine Tour membership.

Uganda’s Willy Deus celebrates after winning the Absa Invitational Series at Thika Greens Golf Resort

By AMANDA DAMARIS

Uganda’s Willy Deus held his nerve to secure his maiden Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing title after holding a final day charge by Kenya’s David Wakhu to win the Absa Invitational Series at Thika Greens on Friday, January 16, 2026. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.

This was his second time of asking for the 34-year-old, his first shot in the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, having been at VetLab Sports Club in November last year where he finished 13th.

Deus played rounds of 68, 68, and 72 for a total score of 5- under par 208 to finish ahead of Njoroge Kibugu and David Wakhu who were joint second on four under par 209.

He entered the final round tied at the top with Mutahi Kibugu but endured a difficult day on the course that had bogeys on holes two, six, fifteen, and eighteen and limited birdies on holes four, seven, and twelve while playing par on the rest to post a 1-over-par round and take home KSh 400,000.

Speaking after sealing his first professional victory in Kenya, Willy Deus described the win as a deeply rewarding moment:

“It feels really good to be the champion. A win is always a win, and it feels great when you finish the job, especially knowing how much work goes into putting yourself in that position. When I give myself the chance and close it out, it’s always a great feeling.”

Absa Bank Kenya Head of Brand & Marketing Peter Waweru presents a dummy cheque of Ksh 400,000.

“Today was tough. The wind was strong and the course was set up to be very challenging. I also had a bit of bad luck with a few bounces that put me in spots I shouldn’t have been in, so it wasn’t easy out there.”

He credited his mental strength in his victory: “I’ve worked a lot on my mental game this year. Last year, I don’t think I would have handled moments like this the same way. I’ve been working closely with my coaches, focusing on staying calm, taking a deep breath, and doing what I needed to do at the moment. To come to Kenya and get my first professional victory here is very special. It’s an amazing feeling and one I’ll always remember.”

On his part, Njoroge played a conservative round for par with birdies on holes six, ten, fourteen and eighteen, bogeys on the seven, fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen to finish second.

A blemish-free start in the front nine that included birdies on the first and second holes saw Wakhu take the lead as he took the turn at 2-under par, but bogeys on number twelve and sixteen, followed by a double bogey on the 18th saw him end the round on par to finish joint second alongside Njoroge as each of them won Ksh 179,350.

Reflecting on his final round, Njoroge Kibugu said he felt encouraged by improvements in his ball striking but admitted that a difficult day on the greens ultimately held him back.

“Today I hit the ball a lot better than I did for most of the tournament. My swing was a bit rusty, and a few bad habits crept in over the holidays, so I spent the first two days trying to work through that.”

“I felt much better with my ball striking today, but unfortunately my putter went cold and I finished at level par. I missed a short putt on 15, made a soft bogey, then hit it right on 16 and couldn’t get up and down. On 17, I three-putted again. The putter just wasn’t my friend today.”

“I had a couple more three-putts and missed a few putts from around six feet. It was just one of those tough days on the greens.”

Muthaiga Golf Club’s Greg Snow and Uganda’s Ronald Rugumayo finished third on three under par 210, both playing equal par on Friday to take home Ksh 94,800 each.

Snow, who came into the Absa Invitational at Thika on the back of winning the Limuru leg of the tour, started off badly with bogeys on the first, third, and fourth but attempted to recover with a birdie on the sixth and eleventh before dropping another shot on the thirteenth with more birdies on the 14th and 17th.

On the other hand, Rugumayo picked bogeys on the first, ninth, and seventeeth, birdies on holes four, five, and sixteen while picking pars on the rest for a total score of three under par 210 after three rounds.

The ninth leg of the SDT–EAS attracted 75 players from across Africa and beyond, all competing for a share of the Ksh 2 million prize purse, as well as Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points, and Safari Tour Order of Merit points, which are critical for qualification into the 2026 Magical Kenya Open on the DP World Tour.

The Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing now moves to the tenth and final leg of the season, the second event under the Absa Invitational Series umbrella, scheduled for next week at the Karen Country Club.