The ten qualifiers from the Sunshine Development East Africa Swing Qualifying Golf Tournament held last week at the Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort have departed for South Africa to participate in the final qualifier tournament.
The final Sunshine Tour Q-School tees off from Tuesday, April 8 to Friday, April 11 at Heron Banks Golf Course in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The qualifiers include Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera of Kigali Golf Resort and Villas, who won the Q-School event, Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s elite amateur John Lejirma, Dismas Indiza of Kakamega Golf Club, Greg Snow of Muthaiga Golf Club, and Samuel Njoroge of Kenya Railways Golf Club.
Others making the trip are Edwin Mudanyi (Karen Country Club), Njoroge Kibugu (Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club), Simon Ngige (Kiambu Golf Club), Mike Kisia (Kenya Railways Golf Club), and Jastas Madoya (Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort).
The group departed for South Africa on Sunday, April 6.
Speaking before departure, Greg Snow — who finished tied for third at the East Africa Swing Q-School — said he is excited for the challenge ahead: “I’m looking forward to some great golf. I think it’s important for me to go out and play well to secure a Sunshine Tour card. That’s my goal for next week.”
Reflecting on the East Africa Swing Q-School tournament, he added: “It was a great experience playing in a Q-School qualifier for the first time ever in Kenya. I think I played fairly well last week at Great Rift, though I made a lot of soft mistakes in the last two rounds, especially around the greens.”
He said the conditions at Great Rift were good preparation for the final leg.
“The course was playing tough with the wind and soft fairways. We’re looking to build on the positives from last week heading into the challenge in South Africa.”
Snow also expressed optimism about upcoming local events.
With the East Africa Swing, we now have more playing opportunities week in, week out like other professionals on tour. It gives us great exposure and helps us prepare better, especially for big events like the Kenya Open.”
Samuel Njoroge, who also finished tied for third, said he is eager to put lessons from Great Rift into play in Johannesburg.
“The key takeaway from Great Rift is that I need to be more consistent, hit the ball well, and stay focused. It wasn’t easy, but I gave it my best and I’m happy to have qualified.”
He added: “I’m excited to travel to South Africa—it will be my first time competing there as a professional. My goal is to play well, hopefully make it through the final stage, and earn a tour card.”
Njoroge also thanked the organizers.
“First and foremost, I want to thank IMG and the Sunshine Tour team. These kinds of events help us improve our game and inspire more players, especially juniors, to turn professional.”
“What impressed me most was the organization. The event was well managed, the course was in excellent condition, and we as players were very happy.”
