Indiza makes a solid start at Sunshine Development Tour

Kenya's Dismas Indiza in action during round one of the ninth leg of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing at Thika Greens Golf Resort on January 14, 2025. [Sunshine Tour, Standard]

Kakamega Sports Club professional Dismas Indiza took early control of the Absa Invitational, the ninth leg of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing, after carding an impressive five under par 66 in the opening round at Thika Greens Golf Resort on Wednesday.

Indiza got off to a strong start with 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 back nine, 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.

The leg 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.

Speaking after his round, an elated Indiza said: "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.

Commenting on his round, Mutahi said: "My form is good and I am playing really good golf at the moment. Towards the end of last year, I started winning some events and I have carried that confidence into this year. Tomorrow I just need to stick to my game plan, stay confident and not shy away from winning."

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.

On his part, Deus said: "My round was okay, with a few mistakes here and there. The greens were a bit bumpy, but we all played in the same conditions. I left a few putts out there, but any time you finish under par, you take it. I struck the ball really well today and my ball striking was spot on, which was important for me."

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.

Round two continues on Thursday at Thika Greens Golf Resort, with the first group expected to tee-off at 7.30am.