Top Kenyan amateur golfers chasing continental glory in Johannesburg
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 27.01.26. | 16:33
The winner of the Africa Amateur Championship will earn exemptions for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale and The Amateur Championship
Seven Kenyan elite amateur golfers, led by Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) reigning champion John Lejirma, are in Johannesburg, South Africa, where they are expected to take on an elite field at the third edition of the Africa Amateur Championship.
The continental showpiece is pencilled for Wednesday, 4 to Saturday, 7 February at the Royal Johannesburg Golf Club.
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Lejirma successfully reclaimed the national title, KAGC, last year and captained Team Kenya to a fourth consecutive Region IV Golf Championships title.
In a KAGC Series with 33 events, he won at Windsor Classic, Kisii Open (Shabana), Ronald Marshall, Coronation, Ruiru Open, Gold Field, Limuru Open, Nyanza Open and Uhuru Shield.
He finished second at the Kiambu Open, Karen Challenge, Altitude Challenge and Nyali Open and was third in Sigona Bowl, Muthaiga Open, Kenya Amateur Matchplay and Railway Invitation.
End of the road at the SA Amateur Championship for @danielkiragu_golf254 , @jirma_samburu_1 , and @elvismuigua ,missing out on the knockout stages.
— Kenya Golf Union (@KenyaGolfUnion) January 27, 2026
Team Kenya remains in South Africa as preparations shift to the Africa Amateur Championship next week⛳#kgu #randa #amateurgolf pic.twitter.com/9dawH3h3DN
The Magical Kenya Open-bound golfer is expected to carry the same form to the continental showpiece, where he is accompanied by former Team Kenya captain Dennis Maara, 2024 KAGC champion Michael Karanga, Adel Balala, Daniel Kiragu, Elly Baron, Elvis Muigua and Josephat Rono.
The event, running concurrently with the Africa Amateur Women’s Invitational, will be contested over the renowned East Course, which has a rich history of staging professional and amateur championships.
The venue is the host of this year’s Alfred Dunhill Championship and has previously held the South African Open Championship on ten occasions, the Joburg Open and the men’s and women’s South African Amateur championships. It was also an International Final Qualifying venue for The Open.
“Royal Johannesburg is a prestigious venue for championship golf, and its staging of the Africa Amateur Championship and Africa Amateur Women’s Invitational signals our continuing commitment to having the most talented amateur golfers compete against each other on world-class platforms.
The East Course will present a tough but fair challenge for Africa’s best amateur players, and the winners of both events will truly have earned the honour of lifting the men’s and women’s trophies and the life-changing exemptions that are awarded to the champions," Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director-Championships at The R&A, said.
The winner of the Africa Amateur Championship will earn exemptions for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale and The Amateur Championship, while the winner of the Africa Amateur Women’s Invitational will earn starts in The Women’s Amateur Championship and Final Qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open.
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