Njoroge Kibugu swings his way into Africa's top 100 golfers

Kenya's Njoroge Kibugu in action during the final leg of the inaugural Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing at Karen Golf and Country Club, Nairobi, on January 21 2026. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Kenyan professional Njoroge Kibugu has entered the top 100 golf ranking in Africa following his remarkable showing at the just-concluded inaugural season of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing that saw him post a significant climb in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

Kibugu, who emerged as the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing Order of Merit Champion after winning four of the 10 legs and recording five top 10 finishes during the season, moved up 177 places in the latest world rankings to sit at 1,359 globally, and 96th in Africa.

In just 10 Sunshine Development Tour events, all played in East Africa, Kibugu climbed a total of 2,149 places in the world rankings, moving from 3,508 at the start of the season to his current position.

He is now one of only six players in Africa’s top 100 who are not South African.

The others are Morocco’s elite amateur Adam Bresnu (69th) who largely plays in the United States and the Middle East; and Zimbabweans Stuart Krog (73rd), Benjamin Follett-Smith (43rd), Kieran Vincent (22nd) - all of whom play in South Africa’s Southern Tour - and Asia Tour player Scott Vincent (10th) who is also from Zimbabwe. Every other golfer in Africa’s top 100 is from South Africa.

Unlike the other non-South African players in the top 100, who play regularly on tours that award higher world ranking points, Kibugu’s progress has come entirely through the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing. His performances on the Tour have delivered the world ranking points that now place him among Africa’s leading golfers.

Kibugu’s rise has also made him the highest-ranked Kenyan and East African golfer on the continent.

Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera currently sits 118th in Africa, while Kenya’s Dismas Indiza is ranked 150th, followed by Greg Snow (152nd), elite amateur John Lejirma (157th) and CJ Wangai (187th). Amongst the amateurs, Lejirma is ranked 4th in Africa and 85th in the world. The Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing has delivered strong overall gains for players across the region.

At the end of the 2025/26 season, 88 players on the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing Order of Merit are now ranked on the OWGR. These include 59 from Kenya, 10 from Uganda, six from Rwanda, four from Tanzania, three from Zimbabwe, three from Nigeria, and one each from Malawi, Niger and Zambia.

Thirty players on the Order of Merit improved their world ranking by more than 1,000 places during the season, with six climbing over 2,000 places. Celestin Nsanzuwera recorded the biggest rise, gaining 2,981 places, followed by Dismas Indiza (+2,483), Greg Snow (+2,477), John Lejirma (+2,443), Kibugu (+2,149) and CJ Wangai (+2,096).

Three players from the East Africa Swing finished the season ranked inside the world’s top 2,000 globally: Kibugu (1,359), Nsanzuwera (1,614) and Uganda’s Ronald Rugamayo (1,987). Fourteen players are now ranked inside the world’s top 3,000, while 20 players finished the season inside the top 4,000.

Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing players who qualify to play at this year’s Magical Kenya Open stand a chance of earning even higher points should they make the cut and finish high up the order in the tournament.

The Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing has provided a clear, merit-based pathway for East African golfers to earn Official World Golf Ranking points, which are crucial for qualification to the Olympic Games and access to global tours.