By KPC Sports Reporter
Amateur golfer Adel Balala will head into the second round of the NCBA Royal Classic with a one-shot advantage after carding an impressive opening-round score of six-under-par 66 at Royal Nairobi Golf Club.
The Nyali Golf and Country Club player delivered one of the standout performances of the opening day to top the leaderboard in the second leg of the 2026/27 Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing season.
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Balala’s round was highlighted by a flawless front nine that included an eagle on the par-five third hole and a birdie on the seventh, allowing him to make the turn at three-under par. He maintained his momentum on the back nine with birdies on the 10th, 12th, 15th, 16th and 18th holes. Despite bogeys on the 11th and 14th, he finished strongly to take the early lead.
Speaking after his round, Balala expressed satisfaction with his performance.
“I’m very pleased with how I played today. I stayed patient throughout the round, gave myself chances and managed to take advantage of most of them. The eagle on the third gave me a lot of confidence early on, and from there I focused on staying disciplined and sticking to my game plan. It’s only the first round, so there’s still a lot of golf to be played, but it’s always nice to put yourself in a good position heading into the next two days,” he said.
Three players are tied for second place on five-under-par 67, just one stroke behind the leader. They are Muthaiga Golf Club professional Greg Snow, Nyali Golf and Country Club’s Daniel Nduva and Nelson Mudanyi.
Snow recovered from an early bogey on the third hole by producing four consecutive birdies between the fifth and eighth holes. He added further birdies on the 14th, 15th and 18th, with his only other dropped shot coming on the 12th.
“It was a solid day overall. I didn’t get off to the perfect start, but I responded well and managed to build some momentum with a good stretch of birdies on the front nine. The course is in excellent condition and rewards good golf, so the key is to remain patient and take the opportunities when they come. I’m happy with where I am on the leaderboard, but the focus now is on staying consistent and giving myself a chance going into the final round,” Snow said.
Nduva produced a blemish-free round featuring birdies on the fifth, 10th, 15th and 18th holes, alongside an eagle on the seventh.
Mudanyi also remained firmly in contention after carding six birdies on the first, second, sixth, 11th, 12th and 15th holes. His only setbacks came with bogeys on the eighth and 13th holes.
Kennedy Abuto sits fifth on two-under-par 70, while England’s Elliot Bradley and Uganda’s Abraham Ainamani are the highest-placed international players after opening with rounds of one-under-par 71.
The tournament has attracted a field of 96 golfers from 11 countries, including professionals, elite amateurs, women and junior golfers competing for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and Sunshine Development Tour Order of Merit points.
Following Monday’s second round, the top 30 players and ties will advance to Tuesday’s final round, where they will battle for the title and a share of the KSh2 million prize purse.
