Lejirmah takes lead in battle for Sunshine Tour cards

Hardwork on the practice range is paying off for Kenya’s leading amateur golfer, John Lejirmah.

Fresh from his dominant 10-shot victory at the Kisii Open on Sunday, the Royal Nairobi Golf Club player and national team captain stormed to an early lead in the Sunshine Development Tour Q-School at Great Rift Golf Resort, Naivasha. Lejirmah carded a solid three-under-par 68 on Monday to top the leaderboard after round one.

“My game is good at the moment as I have played the last four or so events under par. I have been asking for some advice from national coach John van Liefland once in a while, and I think that has probably triggered my current form,” said Lejirmah.

He described the course as generally fair but emphasised the importance of precision on the fairways. 

“The greens are not bad, though they are not the same—some are fast, and some are slow—so they require a bit of patience.”

Lejirmah, thrilled to compete at the Q-School as an amateur, added, “This is a huge opportunity—it’s a dream come true! I arrived last night from Kisii, where I played four-under, so I was charged up for this one. I just played in regulation, keeping the ball on the fairway, and it worked well.”

His round included quick birdies at the first and second holes before a bogey at the fifth.

He recovered with another birdie at the eighth, added a fourth at the 14th, and parred the remaining holes to take a one-shot lead over Vet Lab Sports Club’s Isiah Otuke and Muthaiga’s Greg Snow, who both shot two-under-par 69.

Otuke, pleased with his performance, said, “Coming into this tournament, I lowered my expectations. I played a quick nine to prepare through the back nine. I missed a lot of birdies on the front nine but managed to get back to regulation on the back nine.”

Snow also welcomed the opportunity to compete at the Sunshine Tour Q-School, stating, “I want to thank the organisers and IMG Kenya for putting this together. 

It’s a great initiative that gives us exposure as East Africans playing against top competition. Hopefully, I’ll make the top 10 to qualify for South Africa.”

Meanwhile, another leading amateur, Michael Karanga, who had an early strong start, stumbled with a double bogey at the 14th, finishing on one-under-par 70. 

“This course is no joke. One doesn’t need to make a big mistake to drop a shot. It’s a tight course where every shot has to be well calculated,” he said.

A total of 70 players teed off at the Q-School, with the top 50 set to earn a Sunshine Development Tour card, allowing them to compete in the Tour’s East Africa Swing.

The tournament also boasts a Sh1 million prize fund, with the winner pocketing Sh182,000.