By Philip Orwa
Muthaiga Golf Club’s Pro Greg Snow won his inaugural Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing title after holding off a late charge from the chasing pack to win the Betika Masters at Limuru Country Club.
Snow, who had entered the final round with a commanding six-shot lead, endured a difficult day on the course, posting a 1-over-par round that significantly trimmed his advantage, with is opening nine featuring bogeys on the 1st, 4th, 6th and 7th, with birdies on the 2nd and 9th offering brief relief.
The pressure continued on the second nine, where he dropped shots on the 10th and 14th before steadying his round with a birdie on the 15th.
The decisive moment came at the par-5 18th, where Snow produced a crucial eagle to close out the tournament on a total of 10-under par 206, securing a hard-fought victory. Taking home earned Sh400,000 after the win.
Snow said, “I had a tough round, but I am glad to have pulled it off. It feels really great to have won my first title on the Tour. When I was tied with Celestin after the first nine, I was telling myself that surely you can’t let this go. I was asking my caddy how the situation was as we went on, and he guided me through the second nine. On the 18th I was lucky to hit the fairway after going to the rough, but I tried my best to commit to the shot and finish well.”
Windsor’s Njoroge Kibugu finished second after a spirited final round. Kibugu opened strongly with three quick birdies on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th, but a triple bogey on the 6th wiped out his early gains.
He recovered with a birdie on the 7th to make the turn at 1-under par. On the back nine, he added further birdies on the 11th, 15th and 18th to return a 3-under-par score and finish the tournament at 7-under par 209.
Kibugu took home Sh214,000, while Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera emerged third, after a steady and competitive final round. Playing in the same group as Snow, Nsanzuwera opened with a bogey on the 1st but immediately responded with a birdie on the 2nd. His eagle on the 9th briefly drew him level with Snow at the top.
The back nine brought a mix of birdies on the 10th and 18th and bogeys on the 11th, 14th and 15th, leaving him at 1-under par for the round and 6-under par 210 for the tournament.
He earned Sh144,700.
Nsanzuwera said “It’s not a bad position for me because I came with a plan of finishing top three at VetLab and Limuru, and I managed to do it. For today, I tried to attack and go for the win, but I couldn’t do it as my putter was off, and the pin positions were also tough. When I went tied for the top, I didn’t even know because I wasn’t checking the scores, so I had no pressure from that. If I could have played better on the back nine, I would have taken it today.”
The eighth leg of the SDT–EAS attracted 88 players from across Africa and beyond, all competing for a share of the Sh2 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 its ninth leg, scheduled for next month at the PGA-accredited Vipingo Ridge Golf Resort in Kilifi County
The season will then culminate in the Tour Finale in January 2026 at the Karen Country Club, where the top 30 players from the Tour will face off against the top 30 from South Africa’s Big Easy Tour. The finalists will compete for cards to earn promotion to the main Sunshine Tour.
