Lejirma widens KAGC Series lead after Kakamega triumph
By Emmanuel Masinde, July 2, 2025John Lejirma extended his lead at the summit of the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) Series standings after a commanding performance at the NCBA GoldFields Trophy held at Kakamega Golf Club the past weekend.
He carded rounds of 68, 74, and a superb 67 on the final day to finish seven under par (-7) for the tournament.
His consistency was evident across, with particularly strong showings on the front nine and a clinical finish in the final round, where he shot 33 on the back nine.
A tough round on Saturday saw him settle for bogeys in the 3rd, 7th, 11th, 12th, 14th, and 17th, with birdies in only the 1st, 2nd, 10th, and 18th as he played par in the rest.
However, he had a superb performance on Sunday, playing a bogey-free round 1st, 4th, 10th, 14th, and 16th, and the rest par.
Sammy Mulama finished second with two over par (+2) as Cedric Konzolo (+3), John Kamaisi (+4), and Josphat Rono (+5) finished third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
Lejirma, who was a late entry for the Kakamega event, added 165 more points to take his tally for the campaign so far to 1720 to cement his place at the top.
Michael Karanga, who was missing in Kakamega, sits second with 1063 points, as Elvis Muigua remains a distant third with 795 points.
The event brought together a competitive field of 66 elite amateurs, all out to clinch points to add to their tallies on the standings.
The tournament format saw all participants compete over the first two rounds, with the top 33 and ties advancing to the final round. A total prize purse of Ksh500,000 was up for grabs, with Lejirma taking home Ksh115,000.
Next on the KAGC calendar is the NCBA Limuru Open & Brackenhurst Cup set for this weekend from July 4th to July 6th at the Limuru Country Club.
Meanwhile, Great Britain and Ireland produced a stirring singles display to win the Vagliano Trophy over the weekend, defeating the Continent of Europe 12½-11½ to seal a first victory since 2005.
After Catriona Matthew OBE led GB&I to a famous team triumph in the Curtis Cup at Sunningdale over the USA last September, this was another historic, nail-biting success – this time led by non-playing Captain Maria Dunne at Royal Hague Golf & Country Club in the Netherlands.
Five players – Lottie Woad, Hannah Darling, Patience Rhodes, Beth Coulter and Aine Donegan – were in the GB&I side who also triumphed in the Curtis Cup.
Trailing by one point going into this afternoon’s eight singles ties at the sun-drenched venue, two early wins for the Continent of Europe looked set to ease Ane Urchegui García’s hosts to victory.
But Dunne’s side had other ideas as they pulled off a dramatic first win in 20 years. The English trio of Rhodes, Nellie Ong and Isla McDonald-O’Brien all delivered victories before Ireland’s Donegan – thanks to a stunning eagle on the last – and another England player, Sophia Fullbrook, took GB&I over the winning line in a remarkable finish.
After eight straight wins for the Continent of Europe in the women’s amateur team match, it was a memorable afternoon for Irishwoman Dunne and her team at the historic Hague course after coming close at Royal Dornoch two years ago.
With the Continent of Europe leading 7-5 going into the second day – after taking four-and-a-half of the final five points on offer on Friday – the away side rallied this morning to win the foursomes session 2½-1½ and cut the deficit to only a point to give Dunne’s side real belief.
Lottie Woad, number one on the World Amateur Golf Ranking®, teamed up with Ong for a 2&1 win over Danish duo Marie Eline Madsen and Emma Kaisa Dalgaard Bunch.
The fellow English pairing of Rhodes and Fullbrook were also 2&1 winners against France’s Valentine Delon and Carolina Lopez-Chacarra Coto from Spain.
Woad faced off against Paula Martin Sampedro, recent winner of The Women’s Amateur Championship at Nairn, in the opening singles tie this afternoon.
Martin Sampedro claimed what looked a key 2&1 win, with compatriot Lopez-Chacarra Coto defeating Ireland’s Coulter 4&3.
Ong’s 6&5 victory over Delon gave GB&I a boost, and McDonald-O’Brien edged out Camille Min-Gaultier 2&1 to pull the visitors – watched on by Curtis Cup Captain Matthew – closer.
Rhodes, who claimed a key singles win on the final day at Sunningdale last year, then delivered another crucial point with her two-hole triumph over France’s Sara Brentcheneff.
With three matches left on the course and the scores projected to finish level, a tense conclusion saw Ireland’s Donegan win in style over Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio – after her rescue club to 18 feet, setting up a winning eagle – before Fullbrook also held her nerve to enjoy a one-hole victory against Dalgaard Bunch.
Madsen sealed a 2&1 win over Darling for a consolation point.
With the Junior Vagliano Trophy played alongside its senior counterpart at the same venue, the Continent of Europe ran out 11½-6½ winners against GB&I.
The hosts took a narrow 5-4 lead into day two at Royal Hague – the venue for the European Amateur Championship in 2018, won by Nicolai Højgaard.
Last year, GB&I delivered a breakthrough victory at West Lancashire when, after seven straight wins and a draw for the Continent of Europe, Irish non-playing Captain Deirdre Walsh led her six girls to a memorable triumph.
But there was no repeat in the Netherlands as the hosts won all three foursomes matches this morning to stretch their lead to four points.
Led by non-playing captain Myrte Eikenaar for a fifth consecutive time, the Continent of Europe held firm in the singles ties and claimed a five-point victory. Scotland’s Carly McDonald highlighted her tie today with an ace at the 17th in her one-hole loss to France’s Alice Kong.