Ronald Rugumayo produced a remarkable final-round comeback to win the 2026 Uganda Professional Open at Uganda Golf Club in Kitante.
The Ugandan started the final day in sixth position, two shots behind overnight leader Godwin Okoko, after slipping during Friday’s third round.
Rugumayo had started the championship strongly, opening with a three-under-par 69 to take the outright lead after the first round.
He followed that with a 70 on day two, staying firmly in contention before a two-over-par 74 changed the picture on Friday.
That round dropped him into the chasing pack on 213, with Okoko taking control after shooting a five-under-par 67.
Rugumayo, Phillip Kasozi, Dismas Indiza, Samuel Njoroge and Paul Chidale were all grouped behind the Nigerian heading into Saturday.
What followed was Rugumayo’s best round of the championship and one of the strongest closing performances of the week.
He carded a brilliant six-under-par 66, finishing the tournament on nine-under-par 279 and completing a four-shot victory.
Okoko, who had started the day with a two-shot advantage, could only manage a level-par 72 to finish second on 283.
That represented an eight-shot swing between the pair during the final round, underlining the scale of Rugumayo’s comeback.
His winning sequence of 69, 70, 74 and 66 also summed up a tournament in which he led, slipped, then recovered emphatically.
Rugumayo had admitted that Friday’s difficult finish stayed on his mind long after he left the course.
He said he remained awake until around 1am thinking about how he would approach the closing holes during the decisive round.
The response was decisive, with Rugumayo producing the kind of final-round golf that separated him from a tightly packed leaderboard.
Behind him, Okoko settled for second place after rounds of 76, 68, 67 and 72 left him four shots short.
Kenya’s Greg Snow also finished strongly, returning a final-round 70 to take third place on four-under-par 284.
Tanzania’s Nuru Mollel placed fourth on 285 after a closing 71, capping another consistent performance across the four rounds.
Defending champion Celestine Nsanzuwera of Rwanda shot 68 on the final day to climb into fifth place on 286.
For Rugumayo, however, the victory carried extra significance after several previous attempts to win the professional title at Kitante.
It also ended Uganda’s long wait for a home winner, with Deo Akope having been the last Ugandan champion in 2014.
Twelve years later, Rugumayo finally brought the title back home, doing so with a final-round performance worthy of a champion.