By OUR CORRESPONDENT
Thika Sports Club professional Samuel Chege produced a sensational final-round performance to claim his maiden Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing title after winning the Absa Invitational, the fourth leg of the Tour, at Nyali Golf & Country Club.
Chege, who had begun the day on the ninth position and three shots off the lead, mounted a remarkable comeback by firing a near-flawless 6-under par 65 to finish the tournament on 7-under par 206, the lowest total of the week.
His brilliant closing round featured seven birdies on the 1st, 4th, 5th, 7th, 11th, 16th and 17th holes, with his only blemish coming on the 12th. The victory marked the first Sunshine Development Tour title of his professional career and capped a remarkable turnaround after an opening-round 75 had left him well down the leaderboard.
An elated Chege credited his patience and determination for the victory.
“I’m really happy to get my first Sunshine Development Tour title. After the first round, I knew I had to stay patient and keep believing because there was still a lot of golf to play. I struck the ball really well over the last two rounds, gave myself chances and managed to take them. This win gives me a lot of confidence going forward, and I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout the journey.”
For his victory, Chege walked away with KES 400,000 from the tournament’s KES 2 million prize purse.
Muthaiga Golf Club’s Greg Snow and defending champion Njoroge Kibugu of Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club shared second place after both finished on 5-under par 208 overall.
Snow carded a final-round 2-under par 69, courtesy of birdies on the 5th, 7th, 11th and 17th, while bogeys on the 4th and 6th prevented him from mounting a stronger title challenge.
Reflecting on his performance, Snow said:
“It was a good week overall and I’m pleased with how I played. Samuel had an exceptional final round and deserved the win. There are plenty of positives to take from this week, and I’ll keep building as the season progresses.”
Kibugu, who started the day as the overnight leader and was seeking to successfully defend his Nyali title, closed with a 1-under par 70. He recovered impressively after a difficult start that saw him drop shots on the 4th, 7th and 10th, before responding with birdies on the 11th, 15th, 16th and 17th to remain in contention until the closing stages.
Despite narrowly missing out on the title, Kibugu remained encouraged by his week’s performance.
“Naturally, I would have loved to defend the title, but that’s golf. I fought hard until the end and gave myself a chance. Congratulations to Samuel for a fantastic round, and I’ll take the positives into the next events.”
For their efforts, Snow and Kibugu each received KES 180,000 in prize money.
Meanwhile, Celestin Nsanzuwera of Kigali Golf Resort finished as the highest-ranked foreign player in fourth place on 3-under par 210 after returning a final-round 1-under par 70. John Lejirma and Mohit Mediratta shared fifth place on 2-under par 211 overall.
The Absa Invitational attracted a strong field of 80 golfers from across East Africa and beyond, with competitors battling not only for a share of the prize purse but also valuable Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points and Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points, which are crucial for progression to the main Sunshine Tour.
