Rugumayo finally breaks jinx at Johnnie Walker Uganda Golf Open

What the report says

Ronald Rugumayo won the Johnnie Walker Uganda Professional Golf Open at the Uganda Golf Club in Kitante, Kampala, according to The Independent Uganda. The report said he finished at 5-under-par 279, becoming the first Ugandan professional golfer to win the event in 15 years and the first Ugandan winner since Deo Akope in 2014. The victory was described as a long-awaited breakthrough after several near misses in recent editions.

The article said Rugumayo, who had spoken ahead of the tournament about being “hungry” for success, recovered from an uneven start in the final round. A key moment came on the eighth hole, where he faced a complicated sequence of shots before holing a chip for birdie. That momentum carried into the closing stretch, where birdies on the 15th and 17th helped him pull away from the field.

Rugumayo’s final-round 66 left him four shots clear of Nigeria’s Godwin Okoko, who had led after the third day. Kenya’s Greg Snow placed third, followed by Tanzania’s Nuru Mollel and Rwanda’s Celestine Nsanzuwera. The leaderboard also included players from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and other countries, reflecting the event’s regional field.

The win is significant because Uganda has not often produced champions in this event, which has historically been dominated by golfers from across East and Southern Africa. The report also framed the result as especially meaningful for Toro, Rugumayo’s home kingdom, which the article noted was in mourning after the death of its king.