Nairobi — Kenyan golfers are basking in a historic opportunity to earn valuable Official World Ranking Points (OWRP) on home turf, with the first season of the Sunshine Development Tour (SDT), East Africa Swing already making its mark in the region.
The SDT visited several locations across Kenya and Rwanda during its 2025/2026 season to promote professional golf in the region.
This included Thika Greens, Royal Nairobi Golf Club, Ruiru Sports Club, Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort (Naivasha) which hosted the Qualifying School, Nyali Golf and Country Club (Mombasa) and, Diamonds Leisure Beach & Golf Resort (Diani) which hosted a Coast Region double-header leg in August 2025.
Others were Vet Lab Sports Club (Nairobi), the Betika Masters in November 2025 at the Limuru Country Club.
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Kigali Golf Resort and Villas (Rwanda) played host to the SDT in September 2025.
Thika Greens and Karen Country Club (Nairobi) hosted the 9th and 10th legs in January 2026 as part of the Absa Invitational rounds.
The SDT is designed to provide high-caliber, 54-hole tournaments for professionals and elite amateurs, with events featuring prize money of KSh 2 million and offering Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.
For Kenyan golfers, this was a golden opportunity to gain valuable experience, exposure, and ranking points that could propel them to greater heights in the sport, including qualification for the Olympics.
Commenting on the just-ended 2025/26 SDT EA Swing, Charles Gacheru, a key organizer, remarked, "It's been quite a journey putting this event together, and this has been the first season for the first time in East Africa."
"We have to thank the players for showing up at each event at the Kenyan coast, Thika Greens, and Kigali. We need to appreciate the players who have made the effort and sacrifice to come and play. We've had players travelling from Cameroon, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, of course, coupled with a big contingent from Uganda and Burundi," he added.
Gacheru further stated, "In the history of our country, we have only had one event that offered world ranking points, which is the Magical Kenya Open, but now, for the first time in many years, we had 10 events in the Sunshine Development Tour which offered golfers the Official World Golf Ranking points. We've seen players like Njoroge Kibugu move up the rankings... we've allowed the pros and elite amateurs to earn rankings at home."
Reflecting on the tough qualification process to the next Olympics cycle in Los Angeles, Gacheru continued;
"The Olympics qualification for LA is exclusively based on Official World Ranking Points, whereas the top 60 men and top 60 women are selected using OWRP. We have a long way to go. Njoroge is now going to play in the main Sunshine Tour next season, where he will earn bigger world ranking points, and the Kenya Open will offer more ranking points."
Gacheru also highlighted the tour's commitment to inclusivity, saying, "When we launched the SDT, we were categorical that this Tour is going to be mixed. We gave the ladies an opportunity to play with us and gave them an opportunity to play in the Sunshine Tour. Naomi is now recognized by the Sunshine Tour after playing a full season of the SDT."
-Absa Bank Commits to Supporting Local Golf Talent-
Peter Waweru, Head of Brand & Marketing at Absa Bank Kenya, expressed his bank's commitment to supporting local golf talent, saying, "It's been amazing being part of the Sunshine Development Tour. East Africa Swing. And for us at Absa, this is a commitment that has gone to the players in terms of supporting local talent development, and we have seen the potential that has been displayed on the course."
Waweru added, "We believe in the stories of these young and upcoming golfers, and we are supporting them because we believe that that is the most sustainable way of growing the game of golf in the country. We will continue with our commitment to sport and not just golf, whether it comes to athletics or golf, Absa is committed to supporting the talent that we have in the country."
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He emphasized that Absa's sponsorship goes beyond just providing financial support, saying, "Whenever we look at sponsorship as Absa, we go beyond the cheque that we hand over to the rights holders, we look at the impact that we make on the people on the course, that is the players. The last two weeks have been great because we have witnessed talent from across Africa."
Waweru highlighted the bank's investment in the SDT, saying, "We put in Ksh 4 million in the last two legs of the SDT and a further Ksh 3 million to ensure that the tournament was well put together and we had the opportunity for customers to engage and interact with us. This has given us immense value in terms of the impact that we have created."
