Indiza stuns Lejirmah in sudden death thriller to win Sunshine Tour second leg at Ruiru

Veteran professional golfer Dismas Indiza edged out Kenya's leading amateur John Lejirmah in a dramatic sudden death playoff at the 18th hole of Ruiru Sports Club to clinch the second leg of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing on Wednesday.

The two had tied on four-under-par 212 at the end of regulation play after three intense rounds, forcing a playoff to determine who would walk away with the top prize of Sh400,000.

In the playoff, both players found the right side of the 18th fairway, just 100 metres from the green. Lejirmah putted first and missed the cup by just half a foot.

Indiza, who started the day five shots behind Lejirmah, calmly rolled in his birdie putt to seal victory in the tour event, which attracted golfers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Africa.

“Though it was difficult starting the final round five shots behind, but when Lejirmah double-bogeyed the first hole and later on at the third, I knew I had a good chance of finishing ahead of him,” said Indiza on Wednesday. 

“All I needed was to stay cool and focus more on my game, and I’m happy to have emerged the winner despite dropping some shots particularly at the back nine, some shots I should not have dropped, but that’s golf for you," he added.

From the outset of the final round of the 54-hole tournament—witnessed by a modest crowd of Ruiru Sports Club members—Indiza signaled his intent.

He carded four birdies and a single bogey in a composed front nine, while Lejirmah stumbled with double bogeys at the first and third holes, and a bogey at the fourth, managing only one birdie at the seventh.

Indiza surged forward as Lejirmah dropped two more shots at the 16th and 17th holes. Though Indiza also faced challenges on the back nine—dropping shots at the 12th and 13th and a double bogey at the 16th—he recovered with a birdie at the 17th to level the score at four under par.

Indiza, 55, had carded earlier rounds of 71 and 69 to stay in contention and earn a final round pairing with Lejirmah, who had led from the start with impressive rounds of 66 and 69.

“It feels great to win again,” Indiza added. “I stayed patient, even when things got tight in the middle of the round. I knew if I kept giving myself chances, something would happen.

The playoff was all about composure, and I’m glad I executed the birdie at the 18. This is a great win for me, especially with so many young players coming up strongly on this tour.”

Despite the heartbreak, Lejirmah remained composed in his post-round comments after a five-over-par 77 that saw his lead slip away.

“It was a tough day. I didn’t start well and made a few costly mistakes early. I tried to fight back but couldn’t fully recover,” said Lejirmah.

“Credit to Indiza for staying solid and finishing strongly. There are a lot of positives to take from this week, and I’ll keep building from here.”

As the top amateur, Lejirmah earned Sh130,000—the maximum prize allowable for amateurs under tour rules.

Tying for third place on one-under-par 215 were Windsor’s Riz Charania and Railway Golf Club’s Samuel Njoroge, each taking home Sh123,500. The Kibugu brothers, Njoroge and Mutahi, finished tied for fifth on level par 216, earning Sh81,600 apiece.

Naomi Wafula of Vipingo Ridge, the only female player to make the cut, shot level par 72 in the final round to finish tied for eighth on two-over-par 218.

She shared the spot with Kenya PGA chairman John Wangai, Ndumberi’s Elvis Muigua, Michael Karanga, and Tanzania’s Nuru Mollel.

The full schedule of the Sunshine Development Tour, which will run until March 2026, is expected to be released in two weeks. Meanwhile, attention turns to the amateurs on Friday with the Ruiru Open, a Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series event.