Balala takes early lead at NCBA Royal Classic
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Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 08.06.26. | 11:42
Balala produced one of the standout rounds of the day, making a flying start with an eagle on the par-five third hole and a birdie at the seventh
Round two of the NCBA Royal Classic got underway at Royal Nairobi Golf Club on Monday, with amateur sensation Adel Balala holding a narrow one-shot lead after a brilliant opening-round performance.
The Nyali Golf & Country Club golfer fired a superb six-under-par 66 on Sunday to top the leaderboard after the first round of the second leg of the 2026/27 Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing.
Balala produced one of the standout rounds of the day, making a flying start with an eagle on the par-five third hole and a birdie at the seventh to reach the turn at three-under.
He maintained the momentum on the back nine, adding birdies at the 10th, 12th, 15th, 16th and 18th holes.
Despite bogeys at the 11th and 14th, the coastal amateur signed for a six-under-par 66 to seize the early advantage.
“I’m very pleased with how I played today,” said Balala.
“I stayed patient throughout the round, gave myself chances and managed to take advantage of most of them. The eagle on the third gave me a lot of confidence early on, and from there, I focused on staying disciplined and sticking to my game plan. It’s only the first round, so there’s still a lot of golf to be played, but it’s always nice to put yourself in a good position heading into the next two days.”
Just one stroke adrift on five-under-par 67 is a trio comprising Muthaiga Golf Club professional Greg Snow, Nyali Golf & Country Club’s Daniel Nduva and Nelson Mudanyi.
Snow bounced back impressively from an early bogey on the third, reeling off four consecutive birdies from the fifth to the eighth to surge up the leaderboard.
Further gains on the 14th, 15th and 18th helped him finish one shot off the pace, with his only other dropped shot coming at the 12th.
“It was a solid day overall,” said Snow.
“I didn’t get off to the perfect start, but I responded well and managed to build some momentum with a good stretch of birdies on the front nine. The course is in excellent condition and rewards good golf, so the key is to remain patient and take the opportunities when they come. I’m happy with where I am on the leaderboard, but the focus now is on staying consistent and giving myself a chance going into the final round.”
Nduva delivered one of the cleanest cards of the day, remaining bogey-free while mixing birdies on the fifth, 10th, 15th and 18th with an eagle at the seventh.
Mudanyi also impressed, carding six birdies at the first, second, sixth, 11th, 12th and 15th.
Bogeys on the eighth and 13th proved his only setbacks as he joined the chasing pack at five-under.
Kennedy Abuto sits alone in fifth place on two-under-par 70, while England’s Elliot Bradley and Uganda’s Abraham Ainamani are the leading international contenders after both opened with rounds of one-under-par 71.
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The tournament has attracted a strong field of 96 golfers from 11 countries, including professionals, elite amateurs, ladies and junior players competing for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points.
Following Monday’s second round, only the top 30 players and ties will advance to Tuesday’s final round, where they will battle for the title and a share of the KES 2 million prize purse.
