Like many, I was unaware of Ronald Rugumayo before this past weekend. In case you missed it, the 31-year-old golf professional made history by becoming the first Ugandan to make the cut in a DP World Tour Event at the Magical Kenya Open at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi. Not only was this a feel-good win, it’s a story that golf should lean into.
There’s been so much about “Growing the Game” in the news headlines over the past few years, and frankly, there hasn’t been much follow-through on that. While we see many golfers arguing about LIV or PGA, where they stand in the World Rankings, and who’s getting invites to tournaments; the stories golf needs are the Rugumayos of the world. Progress in golf has often been met by skeptics who say it’s too expensive, it’s too hard to stay consistent, time commitments are challenging, and so on. But in Uganda, we can now see how important it is to INVEST in the progress of the sport. Golf has turned into gread not growth, so if nobody will talk about Ronald Rugumayo, gosh dangit the Stump will!
Growing up in a country with fewer than 20 total golf courses and ranked as one of the 30 poorest countries in the world, Rugumayo fell in love with the sport the way any kid would, because it gave him something he wanted. Rugumayo’s brother competed in golf from a young age and when he returned victorious from a tournament with a rather large trophy and a new television, Ronald was in awe. It was that day, he says, that his first love of soccer was swapped out for his new love, the game of golf.
For more perspective, Uganaga has no players on any of the major tours, and Ronald's only tour major appearances have come at the Kenya Opens. Seen is Roger Sali’s YouTube special on growing the game of golf in Uganda, Ugandan children will use bottle caps as tees, share one bag of clubs between the whole group, and hit on sand and chase after the one ball they use. So while it may not seem like a huge deal for a golfer to make a cut in the larger scheme of the golf world, it means a lot for Uganda. One stroke can change the world.
A joyous scene erupted in Nairobi when Rugamayo sunk in a 10-foot birdie on the 18th hole to secure a spot for the weekend and etch his name into the Ugandan golf history books. The roar of the crowd was just a small glimpse of the growing fan base he has across the world, including former Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, and three-time DP World Tour winner Nicola Colsarts. A very down-to-earth and charming Rugamayo handled the moment with candor, elation, and a massive smile on his face. Before the week Rugumayo was the 2,901st golfer in the world.
Part of that candor came in a Sky Sports Golf interview following his historic birdie, “it’s not about me as a player, it’s not about Uganda, where I come from. It’s about East Africa right now. Everything I am doing, I’m doing it for East Africa.”
His people, East Africans, welcomed him home to Uganda with a hero’s celebration. Wrapped in the Ugandan black-yellow-red flag, and carrying flowers, he walked under a guard of honor crafted from different golf clubs: irons, wedges, putters, and drivers alike. The airport was held at a standstill, and Ronald soaked in the support.
He boldly doubled down on his sentiment that now is the time for East Africa and Uganda to expand their golf footprint, “Everyone is watching Uganda. We have a lot to do. I urge more support given to professionals to continue.” This is the type of growth the game of golf needs and deserves.
As someone who fell in love with the game of golf during my college years, this game deserves to be spread across the world. Ronald showed what determination can do for a country. This moment needs to be seized by the greater golf world, and not just for a headline. When the putt sunk on that hole, the Twitter world erupted, and Uganda was put on the map. It’s extremely disheartening that Ronald has only played in the Kenya Open on the DP World Tour. He has participated on the Safari Tour the past few seasons and qualified for the Kenya Open after a 2nd-place finish in the last event at the Karen Golf Club in Nairobi.
While this may be a micro example of the importance of telling stories like Ronald's, with a larger investment back into the game of golf across the globe, the more stories there will be to tell. East Africa may have been one of the last places “golf-progress skeptics” thought would be the downfall of their ideology. Where access to golf is limited, financial investment is poor, and inclusion at the international stage is rare. Ronald Rugumayo sprouted like a flower in a concrete crack. Soon, because of his desire to proudly support East Africa, his determination to beat the odds, and his love for the game of golf, East Africa will be full of young people with golf on their minds. We just have to be ready to support them.
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