Author: Matthews Mfubu

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9th April 2025

NSANZUWERA CLAIMS EAST AFRICA SWING Q-SCHOOL WIN

Kigali Golf Resort & Villa’s Celestin Nsanzuwera, is the winner of the inaugural Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing Qualifying School (Q-School) tournament, played at the par 71 Great Rift Valley Golf Resort.
Celestin returned a round leading score of 2-under par, 69 to take his overall score after four rounds to 4-under par 280, four strokes ahead of the overnight leader, Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s John Lejirma who finished on gross score of par, 284. The trio of Dismas Indiza, Greg Snow and Samuel Njoroge, finished T3, with a score of 4-over par 288.
Celestin started the day trailing Lejirma by four shots, the two playing off the same flight, joined by Dismas Indiza. The leading duo started steadily off the first, with scores of par through the opening two holes. Celestin would drop his first shot at the third, his first of two in the round.
He would go on to birdie the par-4 fifth, to turn on a score of par, 35, with Lejirma having bogeyed three holes to relinquish the lead.
Celestin would turn on the after burners in the back 9, after bogeying the par-4 11th, immediately recovering on the 12th with a birdie, with further birdies at par-5 14th and par-4 16th, at this point he was tied with Lejirma at 3-under par. Lejirma would drop three shots in the closing two holes, bogeying the par-5 17th and double bogeying the par-4 18th, with Celestin holding par, to claim the win.
Speaking on his round Celestin said, “I am so excited for this win, as mentioned after round three, I was going to go for the win, I want to thank God, the players I played with, they were good players, but today was my day.”
“I started slowly, hacking the ball but kept my cool, after the bogey at 11th and birdie at the 12th, I started telling myself that it is possible and just kept my head down from there. Playing in the Q-School is a great opportunity for me, it will be my first time playing in South Africa and the chance to get a Sunshine Tour card is huge. I want to thank the organizers for this.”
Lejirma said, “It was a tough day out there, I think I was fatigued at some point, but that is the game of golf. It was frustrating, especially when the strongest part of my game, which is my putting did not stick today.”
“Getting the opportunity to test my game against the best has been a great experience and playing in the Sunshine tour is a dream come true. At the final Q-School tournament, I want to keep the momentum going and play well, showcase our talents and represent our country.”
On turning pro, Lejirma said, “I am thinking of turning professional very soon, especially with more opportunities to play, it is just a matter of time.”
“Finally, I want to thank the sponsors and organisers for putting this tournament together, on behalf of all the amateurs who received an invite.” He added.
Celestin Nsanzuwera takes home KES 180,220 as prize money with Lejirma taking home KES 108,130 as the trio of Indiza, Snow and Chege bagging KES 56,470, each.
There was a play off at the 18th hole to decide the last two players that will play in the final Sunshine Q-School tournament after Isaiah Otuke, Jastas Madoya and Mike Kisia finished T9. Mike Kisia would place his second shot 5 feet from the pin, with two putts to claim 9th place, home pro Jastas Madoya settled for 10th off a bogey, with Otuke double bogeying.
Speaking on his playoff win, Mike Kisia said, “I have been here before, I failed to make the Kenya Open after losing a play off, so I told myself, not again. I simply kept the ball in regulation and the rest fell into place.”
“I can’t describe this feeling, but I want to feel it every time I play, it will be my first time playing in South Africa and I look forward to it very much. I hope to improve my game as the competition there is high.”
The ten will now play at the Sunshine Tour Final Stage Qualifier, which is set for 8th to 11th April 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The entire field earned playing cards to the East Africa Swing events for the year, earning them valuable Sunshine Development Tour points and Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points on the East Africa Swing.

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16th October 2023

Scholtz enters Blue Label winner’s circle with Killarney triumph

Marcel Steyn Scholtz shrugged off a double-bogey on the 12th hole and marched to his maiden Tour victory in the Blue Label Development Tour’s one-day tournament held at Killarney Country Club on Monday.

He shot an inspired three-under-par 67 to claim a one-shot victory over the duo of Keegan McLachlan and Therion Nel to win his first tournament as a professional. Interestingly, Scholtz never played golf as a junior but began to take the sport seriously in 2017 when he was 23 years old. Before then, he was a rugby player at university.

“I am really stoked to have my first win as a professional,” said Scholtz after his round. “As a child growing up in Limpopo I used to dream of playing professional golf but I never I never had the opportunity to play as a youngster. I just played social golf.

“But, when I finished my degree I was in a good place mentally and physically and that’s when I thought I should take golf seriously. Today, I am happy I made that decision. For some this may be a small win but for me it’s huge because of where I come from. So, I want to say thank you to the Sunshine Tour and Blue Label for making these tournaments for us.”

En route to this memorable win at Killarney, Scholtz fired in a bogey-free 32 on the front nine of this par-70 layout. He made birdies on the second hole, the par-five fifth and the eighth holes to turn with an unblemished scorecard.

Then the round was suspended due to an approaching storm.

Coming home, the 29-year-old Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate made another birdie on 11 but a double on the 12th threatened his progress. Scholtz steadied himself, making back-to-back pars in the next two holes. He found his groove again on the 15th, a par-five, and made further gains to finish his round on three-under 67 and go home victorious.

“I gave myself a lot of chances today,” he said. “This is a good golf course and you need to place it well off the tee. The approach shots are also very important here if you want to give yourself a chance on the greens. But the key for me was in and around the greens. I rolled in a few nice putts today and that was down to creating good opportunities for myself. That was my goal today; to create as many opportunities for myself and I did that well.

“A win is a win, no matter what tournament you are playing. For me, this win comes at the right time and I think it will give me confidence going into Wild Coast this week.”

Scholtz is in the field of the Sunshine Tour’s Wild Coast event this week and following his win in testing weather conditions, he will have every right to look forward to what that tournament brings.

“When the wind was up this morning, I played nicely and I was controlling the ball nicely,” Scholtz noted. “I was hitting good shots and shaping them the way I wanted. I think that is important at Wild Coast. The way you shape your shots and controlling your ball flight and the spin is very important because of the weather there. But, I will be ready and I am looking forward to going at it again.”

The Blue Label Development Tour is another Sunshine Tour initiative designed to afford players more playing opportunities.

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For the Love of Golf and Law: Motsa’s Balancing Act

The game of professional golf is challenging, demanding, and often frustrating, and juggling that with any other profession becomes a tall order for many. In certain instances, for some individuals, both professions tend to suffer if not well taken care of.

Enter Ricco Motsa.

The 49-year-old member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class is a multi-tasking master. Motsa, born and raised in the rural areas of Barberton, is not just a regular professional golfer. He is also a practicing lawyer, boasting two law firms; one in Alberton and the other in Nhlazatshe near Badplaas.

“I was admitted as a lawyer in 2005,” Motsa revealed ahead of his tee-off time in this week’s Blue Label Development Tour’s one-day tournament at Killarney Country Club on Monday. “I have, for the better part of my life, known only law. As a youngster, I was not exposed to golf.

“After matric, I was fortunate enough to do my first law degree which took me four years and later on, I did my second degree in LLB at Vista University. Obviously, for me, law comes first because it pays the bills, but both professions are like two employers demanding equal attention.”

Motsa’s golfing journey didn’t begin until July of 2013. His brother, Sifiso, introduced him to the gentlemen’s game, and after a few outings as an amateur, Motsa met professionals Thabang Simon and James Kamte, who were already household names in the local golfing scene.

“I got very close to Thabang, and he did a lot to help me with my game,” he added, “and later my brother convinced and motivated me to enter the Vusi Ngubeni Tournament, and as they say, the rest is history.”

Motsa turned professional in 2022, and having now attained his Sunshine Tour playing card, Motsa’s biggest challenge was to begin. While he already had a busy schedule thanks to his work, professional golf brought its demands and forced Motsa into a strict time-management regime.

“My daily routine starts at 4 am, even if I have a tournament,” revealed Motsa, “I must start at the office first and then go for practice before starting a tournament. I always worry if I have a tournament only to find that the court sent me a hearing date. I am so worried about double bookings. So, the biggest challenge for me is that I have no control over the dates of either a tournament or a court case.”

Despite his hectic schedule, Motsa remains inspired and committed to both professions. Having been exposed to the strict demands of courts and judges, Motsa thrives under the pressure that comes with golf in particular.

“I know very well that talent alone is not enough,” he says. “Hard work is vital. Fortunately, law taught me to read a lot, and judges would want heads of arguments to be submitted before 5 a.m. in some cases. So this helped me to accept the challenges in golf.”

In golf, however, challenges never end. As a member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class, the Sunshine Tour’s transformation initiative aimed at providing more support – technical and financial – to the players of color, Motsa understands the struggles that come with professional golf for previously disadvantaged communities.

His dream is to see more players of color being given adequate opportunities to play and proper support to grow within the game.

“I wish to see players of color being afforded help and be encouraged to work hard, but players also need to take criticism and take responsibility for their careers,” he says. “I get so much inspiration from the players of color when we play on Tour.

“We have formed an association called the Professional Golfers of Colour Association. We all contribute money into one pool and then use it to cater for our accommodation and travelling on tour as members. This is one of my biggest inspirations, and I feel like we have become brothers, and I love that brotherhood.”

Motsa isn’t just an inspiration to the young boys and girls from his rural village in Barberton; he is a shining light to fellow members of the Papwa Sewgolum Class and is a personification of hard work and determination.

While his may seem to be an impossible balancing act, Motsa’s willpower and impeccable work ethic are nothing short of inspirational, and many youngsters could benefit from role models of his nature.