By OUR CORRESPONDENT
Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s elite amateur John Lejirma extended his fine form on day two of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing at Ruiru Sports Club, carding a steady round of 3-under par 69 to take his total for the two days to 9-under par 135 – five shots clear of his nearest challenger.
Lejirma was conservative on the front nine, heading out level thanks to a birdie on the 9th and a bogey on the 8th. On the back nine, he played bogey-free with birdies on the 10th, 13th, and 17th seeing him card 33 for a total of 69 for the day.
Speaking after his round, Lejirma said: “I’m happy to be in this position going into the final round. I kept things tidy today. I stuck to the game plan and didn’t try to force anything. I was solid off the tee and made key putts when I needed to. The course played well and I’m looking forward to finishing strong tomorrow.”
He now sits five shots ahead of veteran golfer, Dismas Indiza of Kakamega Sports Club, whose solid round of 3-under par 69 saw him climb up the leaderboard to second with a tournament total of 4-under par 140. Teeing-off from 10th in the company of Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera and Ndumberi’s Michael Karanga, Indiza played a bogey-free back nine, holing a birdie at the 11th for total of 35. On the first nine, he opened strong with back-to-back birdies on the 1st and 2nd holes, before holing his only bogey of the round at the 4th. He then shot a birdie at the ninth for a total of 34. He now sits one shot ahead of Railway Golf Club’s Samuel Njoroge on the leaderboard after the two rounds.
Indiza said: “Today was a good day for me. I’ve been striking the ball well all week, and today I managed to keep mistakes to a minimum. I stayed patient and capitalized on my chances. Tomorrow is all about staying sharp and giving it a final push,” said Indiza after his round.
On his part, Njoroge carded a solid round of 3-under par 69 to climb into second place on the leaderboard. After an even-par 72 in round one, Njoroge made gains with birdies on the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 10th, and 18th, while conceding bogeys on the 13th and 15th.
Samuel Njoroge said: “I’m happy with how I played today. I gave myself a lot more opportunities and converted some key putts, especially on the front nine. The back nine was a bit up and down, but I recovered well on the closing holes. I feel good heading into the final round.”
Joining the tie for third was Tanzania’s Nuru Mollel, who carded a confident 2-under par 70. Mollel made birdies on the 6th, 8th, 11th, and 13th, but holed bogeys on the 2nd and 17th, and held par across the rest of the round to stay firmly in contention heading into the final day.
Thika Greens champion Njoroge Kibugu of Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club sits in fifth after returning a 1-under par 71, taking his total to 2-under par. Kibugu recovered from a bogey on the 1st with birdies at the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 9th. He added further birdies on the 10th, 13th, 14th, and 16th, though dropped shots on the 3rd and 18th slightly affected his momentum.
Elvis Muigua, the rising amateur from Ndumberi Golf Club, delivered a solid round of 1-under par 71 to move into sixth position overall. Muigua made birdies on the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 14th holes, with a single bogey on the 6th the only blemish on his card.
Amateurs Elvis Muigua, Michael Karanga, and Naom Wafula were the only other players to return level-par scores or better after two rounds. Karanga, who opened with a 2-under par 70 in round one, followed up with a 2-over par 74 but remains inside the top group heading into the final round.
Naom Wafula, of Vipingo Ridge Golf Resort, continued to impress as the leading lady in the field. She posted a round of even-par 72, carding birdies on the 2nd and 6th, holing a solo bogey for the round atthe 5th. Wafula advances to the final round with confidence and remains firmly in contention as the top-ranked lady and one of the leading amateurs.
At the close of round two, 30 players, who finished at 6-over par or better, made the cut and will proceed to tomorrow’s final round. At stake is a KES 2 million prize fund, with the winner set to walk away with KES 400,000.
Final round action tees off tomorrow morning at Ruiru Sports Club, with the race for the title, and Sunshine Development Tour points wide open.
