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.

Muthaiga Golf Club’s Jay Sandhu celebrates after winning the 2026 NCBA Muthaiga Open title.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Home player Jay Sandhu has been crowned the winner of the 2026 NCBA Muthaiga Open, the fifth leg of the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) circuit. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.

Fresh from his victory at the Windsor Classic, Sandhu maintained his blistering form over the three-round tournament, carding rounds of 69, 70, and 72 for a total of 2-under par 211 and successfully fending off a competitive field of 145 elite amateur golfers, that included fifteeen juniors, four of whom made the cut to play the final round

Despite bogeys on the 10th, 13th, and 14th holes during the final round, Sandhu secured his lead with critical birdies on the 4th and 18th.

Speaking after his triumph, Sandhu said: “Winning here at Muthaiga is always special, but to do it back-to-back after Windsor feels incredible. The course was playing fast, and I knew I had to stay patient when those bogeys crept in on the back nine. This win isn’t just about the trophy; it’s about the momentum we’re building for next year’s Magical Kenya Open qualification.”

Sandhu secured the top prize of Ksh 115,600 from the Ksh 400,000 purse.

The battle for second was equally intense. John Lejirma of Royal Nairobi Golf Club pushed the pace with an aggressive final round of 71. Lejirma’s scorecard was the most active of the day, featuring five birdies on holes 6, 7, 12, 15 and the 18th. However, five bogeys prevented him from catching Sandhu, leaving him at level par 213 (69, 73, 71) for the tournament, taking home Ksh 69,400.

2026 NCBA Muthaiga Open champion Jay Sandhu poses with his trophy.

Reflecting on his runner-up finish, Lejirma, who is the KAGC overall defending champion noted: “It was a fight from the first tee to the last green. I felt like I had the birdies in me today, but a few dropped shots especially on the par-4s kept the lead just out of reach. Two shots is a small margin at Muthaiga, but I’m happy with how I’m striking the ball. I can only hope to improve moving forward to other tournaments.”

Rounding out the podium was Michael Karanga who showed remarkable consistency and improvement throughout the weekend, carding rounds of 73, 71, and a final-day 70. His 1-under par final round was one of the best of the day, moving him into third place with a total of 1-over par 214. He earned Ksh 46,200 for his efforts.

Muthaiga’s Daniel Kiragu secured fourth place with a 3-over par 216, while Bo Ciera rounded out the top five at 4-over par 217.

Speaking at the prize-giving ceremony NCBA Ciata Mall Branch Manager Emmanuel Leitemu stated: At NCBA, we are incredibly happy to support the growth of golf in Kenya. Watching Jay Sandhu maintain his form and seeing the grit of players like Lejirma and Warigia confirms that the standard of the KAGC is reaching new heights. The circuit is growing stronger with every leg, and we are proud to provide a platform where every performance brings these athletes closer to their professional dreams.

With this win, Jay Sandhu extends his lead at the top of the standings with 560 points. Junior star Junaid Manji sits in second with 334 points, followed closely by John Lejirma in third with 230 points.