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.

NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora during the NCBA Golf Series at Limuru Country Club

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Francis Kimani and Jackie Sirat emerged as the top winners at the Limuru Country Club leg of the 2026 NCBA Golf Series held on Saturday, as golfers continued the race for qualification to the Grand Finale scheduled for November 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.

The event attracted a strong field of 249 golfers drawn from Limuru and various clubs across the country, with players competing in different categories during one of the most anticipated legs of the series so far.

Playing off handicap one, Francis Kimani carded an impressive 72 gross to clinch the Overall Men Winner title after a composed round on the challenging Limuru course.

Francis Kimani expressed delight after his victory: “It feels great to come out on top in such a competitive field. Limuru is always a challenging course, so staying focused and consistent throughout the round was very important for me. I’m happy with how I played and excited to have secured qualification to the Grand Finale,” he said.

In the ladies’ category, Jackie Sirat, playing off handicap 11, returned 90 gross to emerge Overall Lady Winner.

Speaking after the event, Sirat said: “The competition today was very good and the course was in great condition. I am very happy with my performance and grateful for the opportunity to compete in the NCBA Golf Series. Qualifying for the Grand Finale is very exciting, and I look forward to the next challenge,” she said.

Francis Kimani, the Overall Men Winner (L) of the NCBA Golf Series Limuru Country Club leg receives his award from NCBA Limuru Branch Manager James Mburu

Joseph Ikanyi, playing off handicap two, finished as the Men’s Runner-Up after carding 74 gross, while Julius Ngonga took third place with 78 gross. JN Kihanya completed the top four positions after returning 80 gross.

In the junior category, Hakeem Mutungi impressed with 81 gross to emerge winner, underlining the growing strength of junior golf within the series.

The Division Two Men title was claimed by K Mukuria after returning an excellent 39 points, while Patricia Naina emerged winner in the ladies’ category with 33 points.

In Division Three, Samuel Gitau playing off handicap 50 returned 39 points to take top honours.

Speaking during the prize-giving ceremony, NCBA Limuru Branch Manager James Maina praised the level of competition witnessed during the event and reaffirmed NCBA’s commitment to supporting golf across the country.

“The NCBA Golf Series continues to grow from strength to strength, and today’s turnout and level of competition here at Limuru Country Club is a strong reflection of that progress. Beyond the golf, this series is about bringing communities together, building relationships, and creating opportunities for players across different levels of the game. At NCBA, we are proud to continue supporting platforms that help grow the sport while strengthening the spirit of togetherness guided by our Ubuntu philosophy,” he said.

The Limuru event adds to the growing momentum of the 2026 NCBA Golf Series, which continues to travel across the country bringing together golfers, supporting clubs, and nurturing talent at different levels of the game.