Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s Mwathi Gicheru emerged as the leading player in the opening round of the 2026 NCBA Kenya Junior Matchplay Championship, carding a one-under-par 71 as 32 junior golfers advanced to the matchplay stage at Sigona Golf Club.
Gicheru produced the lowest score of the day in the strokeplay qualifier, finishing one shot clear of Jelani Kihanya of Limuru Country Club, who carded a two-over-par 74. Royal Nairobi’s Kevin Anyien was third on 75, while Sean Widor of San Roque Golf Club and Sigona’s Maahir Patel shared fourth place on 76.
The opening round also saw a closely contested battle for places in the matchplay draw, with Jemile Gacheru, Yuvraj Rajput, Andrew Gathere, Ewan Widor and Justin Ngeera all finishing on five-over-par 77.
The strokeplay qualifier was used to determine the 32 players who would progress to the head-to-head matchplay stage, with the field featuring a mix of leading Kenyan junior golfers and international competitors.
Among those advancing are Aarush Vara, Kayden Wissanji, Savir Shah, Yuvraj Rajput, Justin Ngeera, Ewan Widor, Sean Widor and Kevin Anyien.
With the 32 qualifiers now placed into their respective pairings, attention shifts to the matchplay stage, which gets underway on Tuesday, August 11.
The change in format will bring a different test for the juniors, with players now going head-to-head and required to manage their matches hole by hole. Unlike the strokeplay qualifier, where the overall score determines a player’s position, the matchplay format places greater emphasis on tactical decision-making, consistency and the ability to respond to an opponent.
With only a handful of strokes separating many of the players after the qualifier, the opening matchplay rounds are expected to produce closely fought contests as the field is progressively reduced ahead of Thursday’s championship conclusion.
The NCBA Kenya Junior Matchplay Championship runs from August 10–13 at Sigona Golf Club, providing a competitive platform for junior golfers to test their skills and gain valuable experience in matchplay competition.
The championship is part of the wider development of junior golf in Kenya, with the Junior Golf Foundation, a project of the Kenya Golf Union and Kenya Ladies Golf Union, responsible for the growth and development of golf among junior golfers aged 21 years and below.
