•The Kenya Railways golfer said he managed to hold onto the lead in Round Two on Saturday after taking a joint lead with Uganda’s Godfrey Nsubuga with +8, 148.
•Lejirma fired one over par 71 in the second round to tie with Round One leader Nsubuga from Mehta Club in the penultimate stage on Saturday evening.
Image: Courtesy John Lejirma
John Lejirma is hoping to improve on his last year's second-place finish at this weekend's Kabete Open —a leg of the Kenya Amateur Golf Championships (KAGC) series at the Vet Lab.
Speaking in Kisumu after successfully defending the Nyanza Open title at the par 70 Nyanza Golf Club, Lejirma admitted that defending his title was not easy and had to work really hard for it.
“The win today has improved my confidence ahead of the Kabete Open, where I finished second last year. I came here well prepared and I have managed to win, which is not easy for the defending champions,” said Lejirma.
The Kenya Railways golfer said he managed to hold onto the lead in Round Two on Saturday after taking a joint lead with Uganda’s Godfrey Nsubuga with +8, 148.
With scores of 72 in the third and final round, the reigning KAGC champion won the title with +10, 220 in the three-day 54-hole tournament.
Popularly known as the Hippo Pot tourney, Lejirma started off Round Three with two birdies in two and five holes, posted pars in one, six, eight, and nine; then recorded bogeys in three and seven. He, however, dropped two shots in 4th for +2 in the first nine.
He returned with two other birdies on the 10th and 14th holes and parred in the 11th, 12th, 16th, 17th, and 18th. He then dropped a shot on the 13th and 15th for level 35, accumulating two over par 72.
Lejirma fired one over par 71 in the second round to tie with Round One leader Nsubuga from Mehta Club in the penultimate stage on Saturday evening.
Lejirma, was on fire on Saturday when he started off with eight pars and a bogey in the outward nine for a score of +1 36 after three back-to-back birdies in the 13th, 14th, and 15th holes with pars in the 12th, 15th, and 17th.
He then dropped a shot in 10th, 11th, and 18th for one over par 71 for a total of +8, 148 after + 7 in Round two.
As Lejirma took the bull by the horns, Nsubuga who enjoyed a Round One lead with five shots—posted three over 73.
He picked birdies in one, five, and six with pars in two, four, and nine before dropping one in three, seven, and eight to record level par 35 in the opening nine.
His second nine failed to meet the first nine when he rolled in five pars in the 12th, 14th, 15th, and 16th with the rest dropping a shot for +5 40 to tie with Lejirma.
After leading Round One and tying in Round Two, Nsubuga dropped to second to tie with Nyali’s William Odeck with +12, 222.
Leaderboard after the final round
1. John Lejirma (Kenya Railways) 77, 71, 72= 220
2T. William Odeck (Nyali) 78, 73, 71= 222
2T. Godfrey Nsubuga (Mehta, Uga) 73, 75, 73= 222
4T.Joseph Kasozi (Kinyara-Uga) 77, 75, 75=227
4T. Nelson Koech (Nandi Bears) 75, 75, 77= 227
6. Ebill Omollo (Vet Lab) 75, 76, 77= 228
7. Josephat Rono (Golf Park) 80, 77, 73= 230
T8. Elly Barno (Nandi Bears) 79, 74, 78= 231
T8. Steven Orinda (Vet Lab) 78, 80, 73= 231
10. Isaac Makokha (Vet Lab) 80, 79, 73= 232.