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.

Willy Dues follows his tee shot during the Thika Greens Resort leg of the Sunshine Development Tour Absa Invitational Series

By DANIELLA APIYO

Uganda’s Willy Dues and Nyeri Golf Club’s Mutahi Kibugu played identical rounds of three under par 68 to move joint top of the Absa Invitational, the ninth leg of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing, at Thika Greens Golf Resort as 30 players made cut. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.

Despite dropping two shots on the second hole, the Ugandan recovered with birdies on the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 10th, 13th, 14th,and 16th but bogeyed the last two holes to extend his tally to six under par 136 ahead of the final day on Friday.

Speaking after his round, Dues said: “I played well today although I must admit that I was a little bit nervous towards the end. I had an idea of what I wanted to do but there were things I could not control like the win and bounces on the ball on the 17th and 18th. I am a human like everyone else, the nerves kicked in on the last two holes. I will control what I can control tomorrow and leave the rest to God and see how it goes.”

On his part, Mutahi dropped shots on the third and 11th holes, then birdied the fourth, 14th, and 17th and played an eagle on the 18th to match Dues’ score for the day to set up an exciting flight for the final round.

Mutahi Kibugu tees off during the Thika Greens Resort leg of the Sunshine Development Tour Absa Invitational Series

Commenting after being on the lead for the first time in the tour, Mutahi said: “It was a nice outing although the flags were really tucked, and the wind was pumping today. However, I am happy to have played another –3 today. This is my first time being on the lead in this tour and it feels nice to be back here, I do not feel the pressure. I have been hitting good shots off the tee, and I will continue to capitalize on my swing tomorrow, and I hope I can keep my score low.”

“I have worked very hard but it did not show last year during the earlier tournaments in the tour but it is starting to show now. A win here will be a big boost for my confidence and will show my team that I am on the right path,” he added.

Zimbabwe’s Victor Mapwanya alongside Kenya’s duo of David Wakhu and Njoroge Kibugu are tied third on the leaderboard with four under-par 138 heading to Friday. While Mapwanya and Wakhu played two under par 69 on Thursday, Njoroge rallied to three under par 68 to move to within touching distance.

The Absa Invitational is offering a total prize purse of Ksh 2 million, alongside Official World Golf Ranking points, World Amateur Golf Ranking points, and valuable Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points, crucial in the race for Sunshine Tour promotion and also count towards qualification for the 2026 Magical Kenya Open.

The Thika Greens Golf Resort leg of the Absa Invitational Series will culminate tomorrow before paving way for the Karen Country Club event next week.