Nigerians finish in top 25 at East Africa Swing golf tournament

Nigeria’s Kamalu Bako and Sunday Olapade posted respectable finishes at the East Africa Swing golf tournament, ending the competition inside the top 25 against a strong field dominated by Kenyan golfers.

Bako emerged as the highest-placed Nigerian, finishing 11th with a three-round total of 210 after carding rounds of 66, 73 and 71. His performance earned him 34.65 Order of Merit points and KES43,000 (460,500) in prize money.

Olapade also produced a solid display to finish joint 21st on 217, recovering impressively after an opening-round 76 with rounds of 69 and 72. He earned 23.40 Order of Merit points and 29,014 in prize money.

The tournament was dominated by Kenya’s Njoroge Kibugu, who claimed the title with a superb three-round total of 196 after rounds of 64, 68 and 64. The Kenyan finished five strokes ahead of Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera, who placed second on 201, while another Kenyan, Taimur Malik, completed the podium in third with 202.

Kenyan golfers continued their dominance throughout the leaderboard, occupying six of the top 10 positions, while players from Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Malawi also featured prominently.

For Nigeria, Bako’s opening-round 66 was one of the best scores recorded on the first day and kept him in contention before back-to-back rounds of 73 and 71 saw him settle for 11th place.

Olapade, meanwhile, showed resilience after a difficult start, climbing the standings with consistent play over the final two rounds to secure a share of 21st position.

The performances earned valuable Order of Merit points for both Nigerian professionals as they continue their campaigns on the regional circuit, while providing encouraging signs ahead of upcoming tournaments on the African golf calendar.

Celestin Nsanzuwera of Kigali Golf Resort emerged as the leading international player, finishing fourth on three-under-par 210 after closing with a one-under-par 70. John Lejirma and Mohit Mediratta shared fifth place on two-under-par 211.

The Absa Invitational attracted a strong field of 80 golfers from across East Africa and beyond, with players competing for a share of the KES 2m (N10.6m) prize purse, as well as valuable Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points, which are key to securing promotion to the main Sunshine Tour.

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