Rwanda’s own Celestin Nsanzuwera and Zimbabwe’s Visitor Mapwanya share the lead after round one of the SportsBiz Africa Golf Championship, the fifth leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, at the Kigali Golf Resort & Villas.
Rwanda’s own Celestin Nsanzuwera and Zimbabwe’s Visitor Mapwanya share the lead after round one of the SportsBiz Africa Golf Championship, the fifth leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, at the Kigali Golf Resort & Villas.
Nsanzuwera, playing under the weight of home expectations, produced a composed round of 4-under par 68. He opened with a birdie on the first hole but immediately dropped a shot on the second. A brilliant eagle on the par-4 third hole settled his nerves, and further birdies on the 6th and 9th saw him make the turn in 33.
On the back nine, Nsanzuwera added a birdie on the 12th but gave one back on the 13th before closing with a run of steady pars.
Reflecting on his round, Nsanzuwera said: "It was tough today. From the start I was under pressure because I’m playing at home and expectations are high. But the eagle on the third hole really calmed me down, and from there I managed to stay focused and finish strong. Playing at home comes with pressure, but I tried to prepare myself the best way possible."
Mapwanya matched Nsanzuwera’s score with his own 4-under par 68. He started strongly with birdies on the 1st, 6th, 8th, and 9th to also reach the turn in 33. On the back nine, he added a birdie on the 13th but dropped a shot on the 16th to close his round tied for the lead.
South Africa’s Haydn Porteous, a two-time DP World Tour champion and winner of the 2015 Kenya Open, showed his class to finish in joint third on 3-under par 69. Porteous carded birdies on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th, offset by a single bogey on the 5th. He added another birdie on the 13th and parred his way home to keep himself firmly in contention.
Joining him in third was John Wangai, who also shot a 3-under par 69. Wangai who teed off from the 10th, opened his round steady pars before hitting a birdie on the 17th, though he dropped a shot on the 18th. On the back nine, he surged forward with three consecutive birdies on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd holes, adding further birdies on the 6th and 9th, though bogeys on the 7th and 8th kept him just shy of the leaders.
Wangai said: "The day was very good. I started calm and steady, just rolling in pars until hole 17 when I made my first birdie. I dropped a bogey on 18 but brushed it off, knowing I had nine more holes to play. On the back nine, I got going with three straight birdies on the first three holes, and that gave me a real push to finish at 3-under. I’m happy with my start and ready for round two."
A competitive chasing pack tied for sixth on 2-under par 70 included Kenya’s Daniel Nduva, Rwanda’s Ndayisenga Ernest, Uganda’s Ronald Rugumayo and Phillip Kasozi, Kenya’s David Wakhu, and Rwandan amateur Felix Dusabe.
A total of 98 golfers from different countries across Africa, Europe and North America teed off on the opening day of the championship. The field includes a mix of top professionals and elite amateurs, men and women, competing not only for a share of the USD 25,000 prize fund, but also for Sunshine Development Tour points, Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, and World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points.
Focus now shifts to the second round tomorrow, where players will be battling to make the cut. Only the top 30 golfers and ties will advance to Friday’s final round and remain in the hunt for the title.
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