Jay Sandhu of Muthaiga Golf Club is hoping to replicate his form from last weekend's Limuru Open as he seeks to defend his Kenya Amateur Strokeplay Championship title, which starts today at Royal Nairobi Golf Club. Sandhu, who won the Limuru Open on Sunday after producing a superb final-round performance which saw him return to the summit of the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) Order of Merit, is also aiming for a place in the 2027 Magical Kenya Open.
Sandhu, who has expressed his confidence in retaining his title, will compete against 152 other golfers in the premier stroke-play tournament in East Africa. This event is a highlight of the Kenya Golf Union (KGU) series. Kenya’s only 72-hole event also offers top amateurs a direct pathway to qualify for the DP World Tour's Magical Kenya Open.
He said he is in the best form of his life, and is confident of defending his title at the championship, the first round of which is set to begin at 7:30am this morning.
During last year's tournament, Sandhu produced a total of 290 gross over four rounds to secure a place at the 2026 Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club, where he missed the second-round cut.
“I am in good form at the moment, and in addition to the three events I have won so far in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship, this weekend’s Stroke Play Championship is the tournament I want to win more than anything else. This is because it will secure my place in the 2027 Kenya Open,” said Sandhu, who started the 2026 season by winning both the Windsor Classic and the Muthaiga Open, his home event.
Jay Sandhu displays his trophy after winning the Limuru Open champion at the Limuru Country Club on Sunday.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo|Nation Media Group
He completed the hat-trick by winning the Limuru Open last weekend. This victory saw him regain the top spot in the KAGC Series Order of Merit, with 940 points. He is now leading the rankings, followed in second place by John Kamais from Nakuru with 861 points.
Having started his golfing career at Royal, Sandhu says he knows the course there very well. “I played my practice round at Royal on Tuesday. The course is currently in very good condition, and if I maintain my current form, I believe I should be able to defend my title,” he said.
Now in its 49th year, the Kenya Amateur Stroke Play Championship was started in 1978 in memory of the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first president, who passed away on August 22, 1978.
This year's four-day event has attracted 153 players from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Zambia, India, Botswana, Ghana, Lebanon, China and Serbia.
Other leading Kenyan golfers chasing a place in next year's Magical Kenya Open include Adel Balala from Nyali, who won the championship in 2021 at Nakuru Golf Club.
Balala, who is still chasing his first KAGC series title this season, has only participated in a few events due to work commitments.
Sandhu will also face tough competition from Rwandan golfer Jean D’Amour Hitayezu, who won the Goldfields Trophy in Kakamega and the historic Barry Cup (Coast Open) in Mombasa earlier this month.
Hosts Royal has also fielded a number of its top amateurs, including Mwathi Gicheru, a young golfer who represented Kenya in the All Africa Junior Golf Championship and the Africa Region 4 Championship in Mauritius earlier this year.
As well as a place at the Magical Kenya Open and points towards the KAGC Series Order of Merit and the World Amateur Golf Ranking, the winner will take home a cash prize of Sh130,000 from the total prize fund of Sh700,000 courtesy of NCBA and KPC.
Michael Karanga dominated the 2023 tournament at Karen Country Club, winning by an 11-stroke margin. He remains one of the top amateur golfers in the region.
