Uganda’s Ronald Rugumayo completed a memorable week on home soil by winning his maiden Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing title after finishing top of the Pearl of Africa Golf Series at Entebbe Golf Club on Saturday.
Rugumayo, who started the final round at the top of the leaderboard on 11-under-par, carded a composed two-under-par 69 to finish the tournament on 13-under-par 200 and claim the title.
The reigning Uganda Open champion made a strong start to his final round, picking up birdies on the first, fifth, seventh and ninth holes. He dropped a shot on the eighth before adding another birdie on the 14th. Bogeys on the 10th and 17th saw him finish the round two-under-par, enough to maintain his lead and secure the title.
“It feels really good to win this tournament, especially here at home in front of the Ugandan fans. I knew I had to stay patient and focus on my own game because there were very good players behind me. I’m happy with how I handled the final round and it means a lot to get my first Sunshine Development Tour title,” said Rugumayo.
Rugumayo takes home 400 USD (approximately Ksh 500,000) and 210 Order of Merit points.
Malawi’s Paul Adam Chidale and Nigeria’s Godwin Okoko finished tied for second on nine-under-par 204.
Chidale produced a superb five-under-par 66 in the final round to register his best finish on the Tour. He made birdies on the fifth, 13th and 14th holes, while two eagles on the 11th and 15th helped him climb the leaderboard.
“I am very pleased with the way I played today. The eagles gave me a big boost and I managed to stay focused throughout the round. This is my best finish on the Tour, so I’m happy with the result and the way I competed this week,” said Chidale.
Okoko, who had started the final round in second position, carded a one-under-par 70 to finish on the same 9-under-par total. He made birdies on the 11th, 14th and 18th holes, but bogeys on the eighth and 16th prevented him from finishing second outright.
“It was a good week overall. I would have liked to finish a little stronger today, but I’m still happy to finish among the top players. There are positives to take from the tournament and I’ll build on this going into the next events,” said Okoko.
Chidale and Okoko each take home 1,820 USD (approximately Ksh 235,000) alongside 144 Order of Merit points.
England’s Matt Millar and South Africa’s Slade Pickering finished tied for fourth on 8-under-par 205, while South Africa’s Musiwalo Nethunzwi finished sixth on seven-under-par 206.
Kenya’s Greg Snow was the best-placed Kenyan, finishing in a six-way tie for seventh on two-under-par 211. Snow, who had moved into contention after a five-under-par second round, carded a final-round 75.
He was joined on the same total by Uganda’s Abraham Ainamani, David Kamulindwa and Willy Deus Kitata, as well as South Africa’s Ruan de Smidt and Thabiso Ngcobo.
The Pearl of Africa Golf Series was the sixth leg of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing and marked the Tour’s first event in Uganda. The tournament brought together 109 professional and elite amateur golfers from across Africa, with Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points on offer.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
