Rugumayo looks to extend his dominance on foreign soil as Rwanda Open starts

After recent exploits that saw him win five tournaments in a row on Ugandan soil, Ronald Rugumayo will hope to extend his dominance abroad when he competes in the Rwanda Open at the Kigali Golf Resort and Villas, September 24-27.

After winning the inaugural Pearl of Africa Golf Series Sunshine Development Tour at Entebbe Club on Saturday, Rugumayo had no rest, heading straight to Kigali the next day to prepare for the Kigali Open, now a Sunshine Tour event with a kitty of sh120m.

He led a number of Ugandans to the championship, including Grace Kasango, Abraham Ainamani, Willy Kitata, Rodell Gaita, Dennis Anguyo, Ronald Otile, Davis Kato, Phillip Kasozi, Ronald Otile, Hussein Bagalana, Abbey Bagalana, Marvin Kibirige and David Kamulindwa, who will be up against some of the best golfers from different countries, including over 25 from South Africa.

“There is nothing like fatigue; this is the career I chose, so I have to keep going. I've been doing this for the past four years; in fact, I find it so much easier here because all the tournaments are like 30 minutes away from Kampala to Entebbe,” Rugumayo noted.

“On tour you have to take flights, say, “like from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The shortest flight to a tournament could be an hour. So, being here, playing one after another, it's been good for my momentum.”

Top golfers to watch include home boy Celestine Nsanzuwera, who won the event last year. Others are South Africans Pieter Moolman, Altin van der Merwe and Warwick Purchase, who have won Sunshine Tour events before and Australian Austin Bautista.

Zimbabwean Robson Chinhoi is also in, while Kenya will be represented by Greg Snow, Dismas Indiza, and Njoroge Kibugu, among others.

The four-round tournament, which carries 2500 Sunshine Tour points, will start with a pre-qualifier event for some local and regional pros.