Experienced Indiza stuns Uganda's Rugumayo to win at Karen
Dismas Indiza poses with his title after winning the sixth and final leg of the Safari Tour at Karen Country Club on February 7, 2024.
What you need to know:
- He had started the day with an eagle three at the par five-second hole, rolled in five pars up to the eighth where he birdied, taking across the back nine, a low three under par. At the back nine, Indiza made birdies at the 10th, 12th, and 14th, and missed closed putts at the 15th and 16th as well as the 18th.
- This was Indiza’s third victory in the series, which started last November with the Uganda Open where he won with 11 under par 277. He followed the Ugandan victory with a 14-under-par triumph at Limuru Country Club in January, beating Zimbabwe’s Visitor Mapwanya into second place.
Kenya's most known professional golfer, Dismas Indiza, beat Uganda’s Ronald Rugumayo by six shots to claim the sixth and final leg of the 2024 Safari Tour at the par 72 Karen Country Club course on Wednesday.
The Kakamega-based Indiza, who started the final day two shots behind the Ugandan, overpowered him at the back nine of the final where he birdied three holes, and only dropped a shot at the 17th for a closing round of five under par 67, to win the tournament with the highest aggregate of 18 under par 270.
He had started the day with an eagle three at the par five-second hole, rolled in five pars up to the eighth where he birdied, taking across the back nine, a low three under par. At the back nine, Indiza made birdies at the 10th, 12th, and 14th, and missed closed putts at the 15th and 16th as well as the 18th.
This was Indiza’s third victory in the series, which started last November with the Uganda Open where he won with 11 under par 277. He followed the Ugandan victory with a 14-under-par triumph at Limuru Country Club in January, beating Zimbabwe’s Visitor Mapwanya into second place.
“I am very happy with my score. This is the highest aggregate I have ever scored in any tournament, and it would have been even lower, like 20 or so under if I did not have three putts in the 13th and 18th holes’’ said Indiza.
He took home Sh150,000 for his victory in the event sponsored by SBM Bank plus some points towards the “Road to the Magical Kenya Open’’ where he has been leading since the series started.
On the other hand, Rugumayo who ran into trouble in the early stages of the final round after dropping shots at the fourth, ninth, and the back nine’s 13th, 16th, and 17th, shot three over par 75 for a total of 12 under par 276.
A total of 24 players had made the second-round cut including Muthaiga’s Greg Snow, who started off well in the final round by rolling in four birdies in the front nine, though he dropped a late shot at the 16th. He however ended the day well with two successive birdies at the 17th and 18th for a 66 and a total of 11 under par 277 in third place.
The final leader board;
Dismas Indiza 68, 66, 69, 67= 270
Ronald Rugumayo(Ug) 68, 63, 70, 75= 276
Greg Snow 73, 69, 69, 66= 277
Mutahi Kibugu 67, 69, 73, 74= 283
Samuel Njoroge 69, 76, 70, 71= 286
Celestine Nsanzuwera (Raw) 73, 73, 70, 71= 287
Mohit Mediratta 72, 71, 69, 76= 288.
