By PHILLIP ORWA
Kakamega Sports Club professional Dismas Indiza commanded an early lead during the Absa Invitational, the ninth leg of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing, after posting an impressive five under par 66 in the opening round at Thika Greens Golf Resort, that began yesterday Tuesday.
The Kakamega Pro started off on a strong note, sinking an eagle on the second hole, followed by birdies on the fourth and sixth, as he went out bogey free on the front nine.
On the returning, he added further birdies on the 13th and 14th, with his only dropped shot coming on the 11th to close the day at the top of the leaderboard.
Indizi was escatic after the win saying “It was a good start for me today. The eagle early on really settled me and helped with confidence. I stayed patient, took the chances that came my way and managed my game well. The course is in good condition and there is still a lot of golf to be played, so the focus now is to keep the same approach over the next two rounds.”
A three-way tie for second place on three under par was shared by Nyeri Golf Club’s Mutahi Kibugu, Limuru Country Club’s Taimur Malik, and Uganda’s Willy Deus.
Kibugu’s round featured birdies on holes one, four, ten and thirteen, with a single bogey on the par three 15th.
Malik recorded birdies on the second, fifth, sixth and 17th holes, with a bogey on the fourth, while Kitata carded birdies on the second, fourth, seventh, 14th and 17th, dropping shots on the fifth and 11th.
Joint fifth place on 2-under par was shared by Muthaiga Golf Club’s Greg Snow, Zimbabwe’s Visitor Mapwanya and Mohit Mediratta.
A group of four players finished the day on 1-under par, tied for eighth place. They include Nigeria’s Sunday Olapade, Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s Njoroge Kibugu, Kenya’s Jacob Okello and David Wakhu.
The Absa Invitational is offering a total prize purse of Sh2 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.
Round two continues on Thursday, 15th January at Thika Greens Golf Resort, with the first group expected to tee-off at 7:30am.
