For 12 years, Ugandan golfers had watched the Uganda Open trophy leave their hands.
On Sunday, that wait finally ended. When Ronald Rugumayo, better known as Mayo, sank his final putt at Uganda Golf Club, the course erupted. Cheers rolled across the fairways as golfers, fans and guests celebrated a moment that had been a long time coming.
The Tooro-born golfer had become the first Ugandan since Deo Akope in 2014 to win the Johnnie Walker Uganda Open Professionals Championship, giving the tournament a homegrown champion and the country a reason to celebrate.
But for Rugumayo, the victory was about more than golf.
He dedicated his win to the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV and the people of Tooro, who are mourning the death of the king.
“I don’t have much to say because today’s win is not my win alone. I dedicate this win to our late King, King Oyo, and all the people of Tooro. As we mourn our fallen King, God decided that we also get something to uplift our spirits, and see off the King with some victory,” Rugumayo said.
And Uganda Open Sunday was not going to end on the fairways.
As the clubs were put away, Uganda Golf Club transformed from a sporting arena into a celebration space, with Johnnie Walker’s Afro Exchange 19th Hole Experience bringing together golf, music, food and African culture.
Built around a “Tale of Two Cities,” the experience connected Kampala and Lagos through its décor, food and music, while guests sampled the Johnnie Walker portfolio through bespoke cocktails and personalised experiences.
For Christine Kyokunda, Johnnie Walker Uganda Brand Manager, the occasion carried an almost poetic connection.
“This was a very special Uganda Open because we were not simply celebrating a champion; we were celebrating a moment that Ugandans had waited 12 years to experience. There was something fitting about celebrating that moment with Johnnie Walker Black Label, a whisky that is also aged for 12 years,” she said.
The celebration went up another gear when Joshua Baraka took the stage.
The recently unveiled Johnnie Walker Icon Walker and face of the brand’s Keep Walking campaign in Uganda delivered a set packed with fan favourites, including Dalila, Nana, This Time, Wrong Places and Yoyo.
Then came one of the night’s biggest moments: his unreleased track I Keep On Walking, a song first sampled during his unveiling as the brand’s Icon Walker.
Its message of persistence and continuing forward felt particularly appropriate for a night built around a golfer who had waited 12 years for his breakthrough.
UBL Board Chairman and Chief Guest Jimmy D. Mugerwa, an avid golfer, congratulated the golfers, Uganda Golf Union and Uganda Golf Club for delivering a tournament he said continues to elevate the sport.
“Tonight we celebrate Ronald Rugumayo, but we are also celebrating what the Uganda Open represents for our country; excellence, competition, opportunity and the ability to bring Africa together.”
He also looked ahead to 2027, when Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa will host the tournament.
Uganda Golf Union President Dr Jackson Were described Rugumayo’s victory as a proud moment for the country and evidence of the progress being made in developing the sport.
The Union, he noted, continues to introduce golf to young people through university programmes and junior development initiatives, while the Uganda Open’s place on the Sunshine Tour is giving the tournament an increasingly international profile.
The top two finishers will also earn qualification opportunities for the Magical Kenya Open early next year.
As the tournament baton was formally passed to Mugerwa, Captain of Lake Victoria Serena, attention shifted towards the next chapter.
But on Sunday night, there was little interest in tomorrow.
DJs took over after Baraka’s set, golfers and guests moved onto the dancefloor, and the 19th hole became the final stop of a day that had begun with competition and ended in celebration.