Golfers from 11 countries are set to battle for top honours at the NCBA Royal Classic, the second leg of the 2026 Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, which gets underway on Sunday at Royal Nairobi Golf Club.
The three-day competition, scheduled for June 7 to 9, has drawn a strong field of 96 players representing Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Côte d’Ivoire, India, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Competitors will be chasing Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points, valuable Order of Merit points, and a share of the Sh2 million prize fund.
With the race for Sunshine Tour advancement intensifying, the tournament will showcase a diverse mix of professionals, elite amateurs, junior golfers and leading female players from across Africa and beyond.
Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera heads into the event among the leading contenders following a strong run of form. He arrives in Nairobi fresh from victory in the season-opening leg and after securing another title at Thika Sports Club.
Also expected to challenge for honours are former Sunshine Development Tour winners Dismas Indiza, Greg Snow and John Lejirma. Lejirma returns to a venue where he enjoyed success during the inaugural season after capturing the Royal Nairobi leg title.
Host nation Kenya boasts the largest contingent in the field, led by experienced professionals Samuel Njoroge, Michael Karanga, Mutahi Kibugu, John Karichu, Erick Ooko, Edwin Mudanyi, Abraham Galgalo, Tony Omuli, Rizwan Charania and David Wakhu.
The amateur category is equally competitive, featuring some of Kenya’s most promising young talents. Among those set to tee it up are Ali Wasim, Kevin Anyien, William Odek, Tsevi Soni, Lyndon Darker, Adel Balala, Elvis Muigua, Fred Njoroge, Paul Ichangi, Mitansh Thacker and Yuvraj Singh Rajput.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing Tournament Director David Kihara expressed confidence in both the quality of the field and the preparations for the event.
