Willy Kitata in action during the Magical Kenya Open, February 20, 2025. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

US-Based Ugandan professional golfer Willy Kitata was the best placed Ugandan in 13th position as the 7th round Sunshine Development Tour returned to East Africa at the Vetlab Golf Club in Nairobi on Tuesday.

Kitata carded an overall 5-over 221 in 54 holes in the SunDev Betika Masters’ sh53m competition to finish joint thirteenth with Kenyans; John Lejirma, Edwin Mudanyi, Junaid Manji and Mutahi Kibugu, in the event won by Njoroge Kibugu who shot an overall 10-under 206.

The Sunshine Development Tour serves as the leading opportunity for African professional golfers aiming for elite competition.

This series provides them with the platform to hone their abilities through more challenging matches against their peers, along with the potential for prize money.

Kitata was one of four Ugandans who made the cut, out of the eight who entered the competition. The rest were Grace Kasango who finished 18th, Abraham Ainamani (24th), and Phillip Kasozi (29th) out of the 31 who made the cut.

Rodell Gaita, David Kamulindwa, Ronald Otile and Hussein Bagalana missed the cut and will try their luck once again at the Betika Masters at Limuru Country Club, from November 9-11.

Kibugu’s win was his third in the Tour’s inaugural season, cementing his position as one of Kenya’s most consistent and promising players on the regional circuit.

“It feels great coming in off a playoff loss in the last SDT leg at Royal. I feel happy to get it across the line this time, and I am grateful. At the start, I had a few unlucky breaks, but I tried to keep my head in the game because I knew I was hitting the ball well. Once I gave myself chances and hit the greens, it was time for the putts to drop."Kibugu told the media after his win.

Kibugu took home sh10m from the sh53m prize purse while second-placed John Wangai took home sh5.7m. Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera who finished third overall pocketed sh3.9m.

Action at Vetlab was the first of two consecutive tournaments -sponsored by Betika. The event featured 72 players drawn from across Africa and beyond, all competing for the prestigious title, a share of the sh53m purse, along with valuable Order of Merit points, Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, and Safari Tour points counting toward qualification for the 2026 Magical Kenya Open.