Lejirma on a roll as he leads Sunshine Tour EA Swing qualifying series
was more comfortable in the back nine, shooting three birdies, at the par-4 13th, par-5 14th and at the par-4 18th a hole he bogeyed at in the last round
Kenya Amateur Golf team captain John Lejirma shot a round of 67 on round three of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing Qualifying School (Q-School) tournament for 4-under par on the day, and 6-under par 207 for the tournament.
The 34-year-old Kenya Railways golfer’s round was the joint lowest of the tournament at the par 71 Great Rift Valley Golf Resort, seeing him return to the summit with a four-shot lead going into the final round.
Lejirma, who had previously held the tournament’s lead after round one, started the day in second, one shot behind the lead. He would steadily build up through the round, shooting a 1-under par, front nine score, off three birdies and two bogeys.
Lejirma was more comfortable in the back nine, shooting three birdies, at the par-4 13th, par-5 14th and at the par-4 18th a hole he bogeyed at in the last round.
After his round, one of Kenya’s leading Amateur players said, “Today was a good day, especially after yesterday which was a bit of a grind. Today I felt more in control of my game, I stuck to my strategy, made better decisions and the putts decided to fall.”
“Coming in tomorrow, I will approach it positively and hopefully it will pay off, I need to keep the momentum going, nothing is guaranteed as I am playing against a solid field. I need to focus on strategy and not place any pressure on myself.” he added.
Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera, also shot a round leading score of 4-under par, 67 to see him move up four places into second place on an overall score of 2-under par, 211.
Speaking after his round, Celestin said, “My game plan coming into this round was to play better which I did, my shots stuck, and my putting was my strongest weapon in this round.”
“Going into tomorrow, I won’t change much in terms of my strategy, I hope to go on and win, but if I don’t I hope to keep my current position. Winning this tournament would be a great opportunity for me and my country to be placed on the golf map,” he added.
Kakamega Golf Club’s Dismas Indiza’s steady rise on the leaderboard continued in round three, moving up five places, to finish the round T3, after returning a score of 2-under par, 69 to take his total tally to 2-over par, 215.
Speaking on his round, Indiza said “I really enjoyed my round today, I played alongside some great players who challenged me to play well. I however missed a short putt on the 9th but overall, I am happy.”
