Windsor pro Njoroge Kibugu has his fingers crossed at the halfway stage of the ongoing Sunshine Development Tour (SDT) East African Swing’s Q-School tournament, hoping to maintain his lead and secure a Sunshine Tour Development card. 

The former Muthaiga professional fired a round of 3-under-par 68 to overtake Day One leader John Lejirma as the top 50 (plus ties) made the cut. 

The top 50 (plus ties) will be handed Sunshine Tour Development cards upon completion of the remaining two rounds on Thursday with remaining 20 will earning Category 2 status.

Kibugu now holds a one-stroke lead over Lejirma, who hopes to bounce back in today’s penultimate round. 

Day Two was less than ideal for Lejirma, who posted a 1-over-par 72 to settle for second. He dropped four shots on the back nine, including back-to-back bogeys on holes 17 and 18. 

A birdie on the front nine and two more on the back nine propelled Kibugu to the summit after two rounds, but he remains cautious about celebrating too soon. 

Kibugu played level par in Monday’s opening round to settle for fifth but put together a strong Round Two performance as Lejirma struggled to master the lush green Par-71 course. 

“I’m proud of the way I played today, and I want to keep that game plan going forward. The key is to hit the fairway with precision while hoping the short game clicks as well,” Kibugu said. 

Lejirma sits at 2-under-par 140 heading into the final two rounds, which will determine the winner of the Sh180,220 prize allocated for the Q-School champion. 

A total of 54 golfers (50 plus ties) made the +18 cut yesterday. 

Among the notable names who missed the cut were Robinson Owiti, Hesbon Kutwa, and Nelson Simwa. 

Greg Snow sits in third place at 1-under, while Mike Kisia is fourth on level par 142. 

Edwin Mudanyi of Karen is currently in fifth.

“So far, the event is going well for me. I think the week looks promising with the positive performance I’ve put up on this course. I’m happy with my progress, but the fairways are tricky; quite a test, but that’s part of the game,” Mudanyi said. 

Speaking on his round, Lejirma said, “Coming in today, my goal was to keep the momentum going. Unfortunately, I ran into some hiccups, especially on the back nine, where I dropped shots at 17 and 18. The front nine went well, but I couldn’t sustain it.” 

“I’m heading into tomorrow with my chin up. My main focus will be to stick to my game plan, stay present, and make good decisions on the course,” he added.