Lejirma Takes Early Lead at NCBA Kisii Open

Kisii, Kenya – Fresh from a stellar 4 under par victory at the NCBA Kisii Open Shabana Trophy, amateur golfer John Lejirma continued his impressive form with a one-stroke lead in the opening round of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing’s Q-School at the Great Rift Valley Resort and Golf Club.

Dominant First Round Performance

The Royal Nairobi Golf Club amateur carded a scintillating round of 3 under par 68, putting him ahead of professional competitors Isaiah Otuke and Greg Snow who finished joint second on -2. High-flying amateur Michael Karanga took fourth place with -1, while three professionals – Eric Ooko, Njoroge Kibugu and Edwin Mudanyi – shared fifth position at level par.

Notable Moments from the Round

The opening round featured three spectacular eagles:

• Eric Ooko on hole 11
• Golf Park’s Tony Omuli on hole 6
• Mike Kisia on hole 1

Lejirma Reflects on Strong Performance

“I’m just fresh from winning in Kisii where I played a minus 4, so the game plan was to continue with the same streak and I’m glad it went well,” Lejirma commented after his round.

The rising star added: “I believe I’m now playing at my peak point where I want to be, and literally it can be shown by how I’m playing. To play under par each and every round tells the hard work that someone is putting in.”

Lejirma’s round featured consistent play throughout, with a minus 2 on the first nine holes. He started the back nine strong with back-to-back birdies and added another on hole number 8 to finish with his impressive 3 under total.

Looking Ahead to the Tournament

“Generally, for me it’s an honor to receive such an invite to play in Sunshine Tour Q-School – it’s the biggest moment for me personally,” Lejirma shared. “Tomorrow (Tuesday), the essence will be to stick to my game plan, just getting pars and when birdies come, I’ll do better.”

The Q-School, which concludes on Thursday, features a Ksh1 million prize purse and will award players with Sunshine Tour cards for the 2025/26 season. The top ten finishers at the Great Rift event will earn invitations to play at the Sunshine Tour Final Stage Qualifier in Johannesburg, South Africa from April 8-11, 2025.