Gray and Pieters share early Blu Label lead at Silver Lakes

England’s Miles Gray and local veteran campaigner, Brandon Pieters will take a slim one-shot lead into the second round of the fifth and final Big Easy Blu Label Invitational after both players carded rounds of four-under 68 at Silver Lakes Golf and Wildlife Estate on Monday.

Gray’s round of 68 featured three birdies, an eagle and a solitary drop while Pieters went round the Silver Lakes layout unblemished in the first round.

“I’m really happy with my round,” said Gray after his round-one effort. “I played solidly and kept it in play; just one silly mistake where I laid up into a bunker but other than that, I played pretty solidly the whole day.

“I think it’s really key that sometimes that from 120-130 yards you aim into 24 or 30 feet, which is hard to do mentally. But, if you can do that, I think you can put together a really good score around here. You’ve also got to make use of the par-fives here. I had a pitching wedge into two of them and a 4-iron into another, so you have to make use of the par-fives around here.”

Chasing hard and within touching distance of the leading pair, Dillon Germishuys, Kian Rose, Kian Coetzer, Reece McKain and Louis Botha will be relishing the opportunity to unseat Pieters and Gray from the summit of the leaderboard.

Last week’s winner, Daniel Cronje is in a seven-way share of the eighth spot which includes Oliver Goldhill, local man Drikus Joubert and amateurs Jandre van Niekerk, Romano Saincic, Rees Emanual and Ethan Gough.

This 54-hole event is forms part of the five tournaments which the Betway Big Easy Tour is co-hosting with the Blu Label Unlimited Bushveld Tour this campaign. The event at Silver Lakes is the final tournament in that series of five.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons.

Greg Snow Takes Early Lead at Betika Masters as Sunshine Development Tour Action Tees Off at VetLab

Greg Snow took command of the leaderboard after the opening round of the Betika Masters at VetLab Sports Club, posting a brilliant 4-under par 68 to lead the 73 – player field at the seventh leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing.

Snow, one of Kenya’s most experienced golfers, displayed his trademark composure and course management throughout the day. Starting off the 10th, he made a steady par before briefly stumbling with bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes. However, he quickly recovered with birdies on the 13th, 15th, and 18th to turn at 1-under.

On his back nine, the Muthaiga Golf Club professional found his rhythm, adding birdies on the 1st, 4th, and 9th to close his round at 4-under par 68, two shots clear of a tightly packed field chasing him into Sunday’s second round.
Speaking after his round, Snow said:

“I started a bit shaky on the 11th and 12th, but I told myself to stay patient and keep trusting the process. The birdies on the 13th and 15th gave me momentum, and after the turn, I hit the ball really well. VetLab is in great shape, but it’s also tricky, so you have to think your way around. It’s a strong field with a lot of good players, so tomorrow I just need to stick to my plan and keep the ball in play.”

Tied for second on 2-under par 70 was a group of four players, Njoroge Kibugu, Celestin Nsanzuwera of Rwanda, Grace Kasango of Uganda, and Mutahi Kibugu, each showing flashes of brilliance in a competitive opening day.
Njoroge Kibugu, a two-time winner on the Tour (Nyali and Thika legs), played a composed round marked by moments of recovery.

After starting with four straight pars, he dropped a double bogey on the 5th but immediately bounced back with four consecutive birdies to steady his round. On the back nine, he picked up birdies on the 12th and 14th while dropping shots on the 11th and 17th to close at 2-under.

Reflecting on his round he said: “After the double on five, I just refocused and took it one shot at a time. I gave myself plenty of birdie chances, and I’m happy with how I closed. The goal is to stay consistent heading into the next rounds, there’s still a lot of golf to be played.”

Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera continued his impressive form on the Tour with a solid 2-under par 70. His round featured birdies on the 5th, 7th, 9th, 14th, and 18th holes, with dropped shots on the 2nd, 4th, and 16th.
He said after his round: “It was a good round overall. I hit my irons well and made some good putts. I was pleased with how I managed my approach shots. Tomorrow I’ll just try to build on this and stay under par.”

Uganda’s Grace Kasango also impressed with his round featuring birdies on the 2nd, 6th, and 14th holes, and just one bogey on the 15th.

Mutahi Kibugu, rounding off the 2-under group, played an eventful round featuring birdies on the 7th, 9th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and 18th but offset by bogeys on the 6th, 8th, 11th, and 16th.

He said: “I was aggressive today, and it paid off in places. I made a few costly mistakes but overall, my game feels strong. I’ll fine-tune my short game for tomorrow and keep pushing.”

Michael Karanga was the best-placed amateur after posting an 1- under par 71, finishing tied for sixth alongside professionals John Wangai and Edwin Mudanyi.

Karanga, who has been one of the most consistent amateurs on the Tour, said:
“Playing with these top professionals gives us invaluable experience. I had a steady round — a few missed chances here and there, but overall, I’m pleased. The Tour has helped us amateurs raise our game, and I’m determined to keep improving.”

The Betika Masters at VetLab Sports Club marks the seventh leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing.

The tournament offers Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points, as well as Safari Tour ranking points that count toward qualification for the 2026 Magical Kenya Open, following the recent Tour Recognition Agreement signed between the SDT and Kenya Open Golf Limited.

The event continues on Monday, with the top 30 players and ties expected to make the cut for the final round on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 with action set to tee off at 8:00am.

Wangai and Kibugu Share Lead Heading into Final Round of Betika Masters, 7th Leg of the Sunshine Development Tour at VetLab

Kenyan pros John Wangai and Njoroge Kibugu will head into the final round of the Betika Masters, the seventh leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, tied for the lead on 7-under-par 137, after an eventful second day of play at the VetLab Sports Club.

Wangai produced one of the standout rounds of the tournament, firing an impressive 6-under-par 66 to climb up the leaderboard. Teeing off from the 10th, the Sigona Golf Club player picked up four straight birdies on the 12th, 13th,14th, and 15th holes, dropped a shot on the 16th, and added another birdie on the 18th.

On his return nine, Wangai kept his momentum going with back-to-back birdies on the 1st and 2nd holes, dropped a shot on the 3rd, but closed strongly with another birdie on the 6th to complete a round of 6-under par, the lowest score of the day.

Reflecting on his performance, Wangai said, “Today I hit the ball well off the tee and my putting was very good. I started on the back nine and on this course holes 9 and 10 are very tight but I held steady, then went on to hit four back-to-back birdies from hole number 12 and that gave me momentum.

He added, “I have been shooting rounds of under par before but I have not been able to get it to the top to be able to win. When I saw I could shoot under par I continued working hard and this is a show that I could be coming for a win and that is my target.”

On the pressure of heading to the final round atop the leaderboard, Wangai said, “I have been on the lead where there is pressure many times before so I will just keep myself calm and enjoy the round tomorrow. I will keep it the way it was today, no much changes. Irrespective of whether I win or not, if I play six under par tomorrow it will be a good round for me.”

Sharing the top spot is Njoroge Kibugu, who carded another solid round of 4-under par 68 to keep himself firmly in contention for what would be his record third Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing title.

Kibugu had a stellar front nine, carding a birdie on the 3rd and a brilliant eagle on the 7th to turn in an impressive 33. On the back nine, he maintained his composure, picking up birdies on the 12th and 15th to finish his day tied for the lead on 7-under par.

Speaking after his round, Njoroge said, “It was a tough day and I had to stay patient, dealing with a stomach upset but I kept it together and I am happy with the way I kept it together. I was hitting a lot of greens but I was being conservative to retain my energy.”

I plan to stay patient, same as today, and I believe the birdies will fall. I hope to give myself opportunities by hitting greens to hopefully come out on top. Being ahead is good for me, and pressure is a privilege, and I am happy to be in this position. My goal is to keep doing what I have been doing and hopefully I can come out with a win
Just one shot behind the pair is Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera who continued his impressive run, carding 4-under par 68 for a tournament total of 6-under par 138, just one shot off the lead.

His round featured birdies on the 1st, 6th, and 7th holes, offset by bogeys on the 3rd and 5th. On the turn, he found further success with birdies on the 10th, 14th, and 15th to keep himself well within reach of the leaders.
Speaking after his round, Nsanzuwera said:

“Today’s round was good. I corrected some of my mistakes from yesterday. I hit more fairways and my putting was much better. My plan for the final day is to stay consistent, hit fairways, and putt well. I actually prefer being the one chasing rather than being chased, it takes off some pressure, so let’s see how tomorrow goes.”

Veteran pro Dismas Indiza from Kakamega Sports Club sits in fourth place after a fine round of 5-under par 67, taking his total to 5-under par 139. Indiza’s round included birdies on the 4th, 7th, 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 18th holes, with his only blemishes coming on the 11th and 12th.

Tied for fifth are David Wakhu of Golf Park and Greg Snow of Muthaiga Golf Club, both finishing the day at 3-under par 141.
Wakhu’s round featured birdies on the 1st, 9th, 13th, 15th, and 18th holes, with only two bogeys on the 7th and 10th for a 3-under par 69 finish.
Snow, who had started the day as the overnight leader, found the going tougher in round two. His front nine saw bogeys on the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th with a single birdie on the 5th. On the back nine, he recovered with birdies on the 11th and 12th, but further bogeys on the 14th and 16th saw him close on 1-over par 73, dropping him down to tied fifth.
Vipingo Ridge Golf Resort’s Naom Wafula was the only female golfer to make the cut, further continuing her impressive form on the tour since turning professional.

A total of 30 players have made the cut to play in Tuesday’s final round, where they will battle for the Betika Masters title, and a share of the Ksh 2 million prize purse of which the winner will take home a sumptuous Ksh. 400,000. In addition to this, the players will be aiming to earn crucial Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), and World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) which are crucial for progression into major tournaments.

In addition to this, the players will also earn Safari Tour Order of Merit points, all counting towards qualification for the 2026 Magical Kenya Open.

The Betika Masters at VetLab is the seventh leg of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour of South Africa, and supported by Betika as title sponsor. The tournament is also supported by EABL’s Johnnie Walker brand, Pure Travel, Magical Kenya, The Golf Company.

Cronje claims impressive first tour win at Killarney

Daniel Cronje said he was relieved to finally cross the line after he claim his first Betway Big Easy Tour victory in the eighth event of the season held at Killarney Country Club this week.

Cronje had come close to winning a few other times on Tour this season, even losing out in a playoff during the campaign. He was not going to fall short in Killarney this week.

Despite weather-forced delays, Cronje was determined to etch his name in the list of winners this campaign, and this was week to do so. At four-under-par, Cronje was one-stroke off the pace coming into the final round on Thursday and wasted little time in going about his business.

His bogey-free 32 on the front nine set the tone for Cronje and even as he made two bogeys on the way home, he was still able to make four birdies on that stretch to seal a final round of five-under 65 to get to eight-under for the week and win by three shots.

“This is by far the biggest win of my career,” said the 25-year-old London-born South African. “I feel relieved now because I’ve had a few opportunities to get it done and it gets frustrating when you have the game but things don’t go your way. I’m glad I got it done this week.

“It was a really tough week with the delays but it worked out well in the end.”

With his maiden victory, Cronje now moves to second on the Order of Merit and will look for a strong finish to the season as his pathway to the Sunshine Tour looks all but sealed. The top 12 players on the Order of Merit will earn their Sunshine Tour cards for the next season and Cronje will want to keep his place among the leading players this campaign.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons.

Mahoney and Amm tie first-round lead at Killarney

Member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class, Trevor Mahoney and Zimbabwe’s David Amm carded respective rounds of four-under 66 to share the first-round lead in the eighth Betway Big Easy Tour event held at Killarney Country Club.

Tuesday’s opening round saw the two men perched at the top of the leaderboard, a stroke clear of their closest challengers at Killarney Country Club.

Mahoney, who is beginning to show signs of the golfer who claimed two Vusi Ngubeni titles on the Sunshine Tour, had five birdies and a solitary bogey on his card while Amm’s round consisted of five birdies, an eagle, a single bogey and an unwanted double.

Tied for the third spot was the duo of Travis Procter and amateur, Josh Aguilar, with both players shooting scores of three-under 67 on this par-70 layout. Veteran John Bele snuck in a cheeky two-under 68 to share fifth with young Jonathan Ackerman, Jordan Duminy, Soweto’s Musiwalo Nethunzwi, Khanya Mkhize, Dillon Germishuys, LB Boshoff, England’s Jake Bolton and Ugandan star, Ronald Rugumayo.

Franklin Manchest, Jacquin Hess, Kael Strydom, Ryan Tipping, amateur Jere Brits and Daniel Cronje all carded rounds of 69 to share 15^th on the leaderboard.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons.

Rose gets his redemption with Reading victory

Kian Rose fell short of a win on his Betway Big Easy Tour debut at Reading Country Club a month ago, but the 23-year-old redeemed himself with a commanding five-stroke win in this week’s Betway Big Easy Blu Label Invitational.

The event, originally scheduled as a 54-hole tournament, was reduced to a 36-hole event due to multiple delays that were caused by a combination of bad weather and poor light.

An opening round of five-under-par 66 set him for a place among the contenders, giving him another shot at a win at the place where he came so close just a month ago. He was not going to let it go this time.

He rose to the occasion with a sparkling eight-under-par 63 to take his total to 13-under. He had to go to sleep on that, however, as the second round couldn’t be finished on Tuesday on account of poor visibility due to fading light. While there seemed to be players who could possibly unseat him at the summit of the leaderboard during the final round, they all fell off on Wednesday when play resumed.

“That first event here was bittersweet,” recalled Rose, who plays out of Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club. “I was in the last group and I had a putt on the last hole to push it into a playoff, and I left it in the mouth. That one tasted a little bitter, but it also forced me to push myself a little more. So, coming out here again this week, it was a bit of a redemption story for me to regather myself, and I ended up getting it done.”

Having tasted that defeat here, Rose was up to the challenge this week. And challenging, it was. His five birdies and an eagle in the final round proved too great to surmount, handing him his first professional win within his first two months of turning professional.

“After the round, I got asked how I feel about it,” Rose said of his scintillating final round. “I didn’t have an answer because it was sort of like a blackout. But after the round, I gathered my thoughts and looked back at the round and the stats, and I realised I had 21 putts for the round. The flat stick got hot. The two holes that I got out of position off the tee, I ended up birdieing and eagling, so everything sort of aligned to what I wanted, and I played just about as good as I could have.”

With his professional career now off to a bright start, Rose will be keen to see his stock rise even higher and having earned himself an invite into next week’s Limpopo Championship on the Sunshine Tour, he will have more reasons to be optimistic about his chances among the elite in professional golf.

“It’s been good,” he says of his short time as a professional. “I’m excited to get this professional journey underway. It’s a dream come true for me.”

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons. The Betway Big Easy Blue Label Invitational is a series which the Big Easy co-hosts with the Bushveld Tour to provide more playing opportunities to members of both tours.

England’s Millar leads weather-affected Blu Label Invitational

Matt Millar produced a fine seven-under-par 64 in the weather-delayed opening round of the fourth Betway Big Easy Blu Label Invitational to lead by two shots at Reading Country Club.

Monday’s opening round was delayed for over two hours due to bad weather. When play finally started, the players were called back from the course again in the afternoon as weather conditions deteriorated once more.

This led to the round only being completed on Tuesday around noon, and subsequently to the cancellation of the third round, rendering this event a 36-hole event instead of the scheduled 54-hole event.

Millar was already in the clubhouse by this time.

“Obviously, with the delays, it was a bit strange,” said Millar after his round. “We got here early and had to wait for a while. Then, I kind of got off to a nice start; I made a couple of early birdies. I got it to three-under and then we had a long wait; an hour and a half wait. So, I kind of had to sit there thinking about it for a long time.

“And then I came out and made a nice eagle on the par-five to get to five-under, then I made a couple of nice putts coming in to get it to seven. So, I’m really pleased.”

His closest challengers are Leon Visser and Kian Rose who both sit on five-under.

“Probably a 12-hour day,” noted Visser after his round, referring to how long the day proved to be. I just needed to keep my head in it, and whenever I had an opportunity, I used it well. And, I just putted really well today, so that helped a lot.”

With the tournament now reduced to a 36-hole event, players will be eager to make their moves to secure favourable positions in this penultimate tournament of the five-event Blu Label Invitational series.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons. The Betway Big Easy Blue Label Invitational is a series which the Big Easy co-hosts with the Bushveld Tour to provide more playing opportunities to members of both tours.

Konig claims top spot ahead of final round in Soweto

England’s Harry Konig will take a slim one-stroke lead into the final round of the seventh tournament of the Betway Big Easy Tour held at Soweto Country Club.

This is after Konig carded a second-round 70 on Wednesday to back up his opening 67, for a one-shot lead over Jaden Deltel. Konig started his second round with six straight pars but dropped a shot on the seventh. He bounced back from that setback with a birdie to keep things level before the turn. He found joy on the 10^th, birdieing that hole before making an important par-save on the 11^th.

Konig maintained momentum with a brace of birdies on 12 and 13 but went on to give a shot back on the 15^th as he made his second drop of the round. He finished with three straight pars for a score of two-under 70, taking his total to seven-under for the tournament.

“Solid day today,” he said after a testing outing in South Africa’s most iconic township. “I played really well yesterday, and I played pretty well again today. I missed a few chances, but overall, I’m very happy with my first two days so far.

“I’ve struggled here the last couple of years. So, I just pumped driver pretty much everywhere today; I tried to get as close to the greens as possible. Obviously, the course is playing very firm; it’s windy. So, yeah, just tried to get to as close to the greens as possible, and if I’m in a bad spot, you can get it on and around the greens anyway. Keeping it on the right side of the flags was key.”

Konig is on the chase for his second title of the season, having claimed the Glenvista leg earlier in the season. An experienced campaigner on this circuit already, Konig is fully aware of the challenge that lies before him as he seeks to make it two wins this season.

“It will be awesome to get a second win in the last couple of months,” he noted. “But there’s a lot of golf still to go, but I’m looking forward to the battle and hopefully, I’ll be up to the task.”

His closest challenger, Deltel, will feel he has a real chance at claiming his maiden victory on this Sunshine Tour development tour. Deltel narrowly missed out on a win in the season-opening tournament at Dainfern Golf Estate and, trailing by just a single shot going into Thursday’s final round in Soweto, the young Deltel has a shot at redemption this week.

“It feels great to be in contention,” said Deltel, who plays out of Bryanston Country Club. “It’s a privilege to be in this position, and I definitely love these moments. I’m just grateful for the opportunities, and I’m looking forward to enjoying every moment out there.”

Wandre Snyman and veteran Brandon Pieters share third on five-under while Joe Sullivan, Dillon Germishuys and American Austin Cherichella are a further shot back.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons.

Deltel shoots 66 to take early Big Easy lead in Soweto

Jaden Deltel carded a near-perfect six-under-par 66 on Tuesday to take a slim one-stroke lead in the seventh event of the Betway Big Easy Tour held at Soweto Country Club.

Deltel had a dream start in Soweto, going three-under in his first four holes, thanks to birdies on the first, the third and fourth holes. The Bryanston golfer added another birdie on the ninth to make the turn in 31 and bogey-free.

He made further gains after the turn as he birdied the 10^th but went on to drop on the par-five 13^th – his only bogey of the round. A par on the next hole settled Deltel after he’d made that drop on 13, then a brace of birdies followed, to seal a round of 66.

“Soweto is in good condition,” admitted Deltel. “But you’ve got to hit it straight over here. Around the greens, you have to be a little bit sharper, but I think I did that very well today. I think me and my caddie, Jono, strategised well for this course. The wind picked up on the back nine, but I managed it well.”

Hot on Deltel’s heels is England’s Harry Konig and Australia’s Austin Bautista, both of whom have already tasted victory on this Sunshine Tour feeder circuit. Their respective rounds of 67 were characterised by six birdies each and a drop on the par-three seventh.

With 36 holes to play in this 54-hole event, both Bautista and Konig will be eager to maintain the pressure in order to unseat Deltel from the summit. Dillon Germishuys is solo fourth, thanks to a round of four-under 68.

Five players, including Joe Sullivan, Matthew Rushton, Travis Procter, Daniel Cronje and Soweto’s own Irvin Mazibuko, share the fifth spot on the leaderboard after they all signed for 69s.

Andre de Decker, Trevor Mahoney, Carl Mwale and veteran campaigner Brandon Pieters make up the top 10 leading players after round one, thanks to rounds of two-under-par 70.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons.

Van Der Merwe claims back-to-back Big Easy wins

Jacques Van Der Merwe claimed his second Betway Big Easy Tour title in as many starts when he claimed a come-from-behind win in the sixth event of the season held at Reading Country Club. 

Van  Der Merwe, who plays out of Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club, entered the final round five shots off the pace set by member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class, Mark Maart. 

But as Maart laboured to a final round of 71, Van der Merwe was making strides, and his near-perfect six-under-par 65 would prove enough to earn Van der Merwe a one-shot victory and a place among the few who have been able to claim back-to-back wins on this circuit in recent times. 

Van Der Merwe’s round featured an eagle, five birdies and a solitary drop. 

“It was tough, but it was fun,” he remarked. “I knew I had to go low today. My dad told me this morning that seven should be good, and I said the putter is not that hot this week. But I managed to make a few putts, and here I am standing with the trophy. 

“Going back-to-back on the Big Easy is unbelievable. I’m still in shock. I didn’t think that it was possible for me. But I learned that I should never limit myself. After this week, I know that my capabilities are way more than what I used to believe.” 

With two wins already this season and a favourable position on the Order of Merit standings (ranked second after this week), Van Der Merwe practically has one hand on his 2026 Sunshine Tour card. 

“I didn’t even know that,” he said of his position on the rankings. “But my job is not done. There are a lot of tournaments to come, but hopefully, just as many wins to come. I must keep working hard; see my coach, spend some time with my sports psychologist and try to work through everything that’s happened. I think it’s important for me to get back to my routines and processes. But the job is not done.”  

While Maart fought hard to claim his breakthrough win, he eventually settled for a share of second alongside Daniel Cronje and Kian Rose, who was making his Betway Big Easy Tour debut at Reading. 

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons.