Madoya leads after day one at Sunshine Development Tour in Nyali
Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 05.08.25. | 13:16
A total of KES 2 million in prize money and Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are up for grabs.\
Great Rift Valley Golf Resort’s Jastas Madoya emerged as the day one leader of the third leg of the Sunshine Development Tour—East Africa Swing, held at the par-71 Nyali Golf & Country Club, after carding an impressive level-par 71 despite challenging weather conditions.
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Play was temporarily suspended at 8:45 AM due to heavy rainfall, with action resuming at 10:30 AM once conditions improved.
The wet and windy weather tested the patience and adaptability of the 70 golfers from eight African countries who teed off in the opening round.
Madoya set the pace early with a composed front nine, registering birdies on the 3rd and 5th holes, offset by a bogey on the 4th.
On the back nine, he dropped a shot on the 10th but bounced back with a birdie on the 11th.
After another bogey on the 12th, he steadied his round, adding a birdie on the 17th before closing with a bogey on the final hole to finish at even-par.
Speaking after his round, Madoya said, “The course played tough with the early rain, but I stuck to my routine and focused on shot-by-shot execution. I didn’t take unnecessary risks and just tried to keep the ball in play. Nyali is a tricky course, especially in the wind, so I’m happy with how I handled the conditions.”
Tied for second at 1-over-par 72 were David Wakhu of Golf Park and Greg Snow of Muthaiga Golf Club.
Wakhu’s round included birdies on the 1st, 5th, and 17th holes, offset by bogeys on the 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 16th, while he parred the rest.
Snow had a promising start, with birdies on the 1st, 5th, and 8th, but dropped shots on the 4th, 7th, and 9th.
He recovered well on the back nine with a birdie on the 11th, steady par play, and bogeys on the 12th and 16th to finish on 72.
Reflecting on his round, Snow said, “It is a course that demands accuracy, and today’s conditions made that even more important. I had a few misreads, but overall, I managed the round quite well. Tomorrow is a new day, and I will try to go a few better.”
Tied for fourth at 2-over-par 73 were Fadhil Said Nkya of Tanzania, Daniel Nduva of Nyali Golf & Country Club, and Samuel Njoroge of Kenya Railway Golf Club. A six-way tie for seventh saw Mohit Mediratta, Erick Ooko, Celestine Nsanzuwera of Rwanda, Kenneth Bollo, Alfred Nandwa, and Adel Balala all finish on 3-over-par 74, keeping the leaderboard tightly packed heading into round two.
The Sunshine Development Tour—East Africa Swing continues tomorrow at Nyali Golf & Country Club with round two, which will determine the top 30 and ties who will advance to Wednesday’s final round. A total of KES 2 million in prize money and Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are up for grabs.\
