Njoroge Kibugu follows his tee shot from the 3rd tee on day one of the Johnnie Walker Classic Sunshine Development Tour -- East Africa Swing at Royal Nairobi Golf Club in Nairobi on October 13, 2025.
Two young professional golfers from Kenya, Njoroge Kibugu and Naomi Wafula, have secured playing cards to the Sunshine Tour, one of the major pro golf tours in the world.
Kibugu, 22, will play in the men’s Sunshine Tour from April next year, while Wafula, 27, will play in the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
South Africa-based Sunshine Tour is one of the major pro golf tours in the world. The others are the DP World (formerly European Professional Golf Tour (PGA), US PGA Tour, and the Asian Tour. The Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanction golf events globally.
Njoroge Kibugu displays his trophies after winning the seventh leg of the PGK Equator Tour at Sigona Golf Club on December 7, 2025.
Kibugu and Wafula have posted strong performances in the inaugural edition of the Sunshine Development Tour (East Africa Swing) held in Kenya at the end of the season. They will become the first golfers from Kenya and East Africa to earn full tour cards to major professional golf tours.
Wafula earned her card to the Sunshine Ladies Tour following an outstanding season during which she made the cut in seven out of eight competitions in the Sunshine Development Tour. She is currently ranked 18th in the tournament’s Order of Merit. She has laid claim to a place among East Africa’s fastest-rising professionals through her strong performances in the season.
Sunshine Ladies Tour
On Monday, Wafula said earning an opportunity to play in the Sunshine Ladies Tour is a fulfilment of her long-term dream.
“For me to be the first Kenyan woman golfer to get a global tour card through the Sunshine Development Tour is amazing. It has always been my dream to play in a major tour, and I was overwhelmed when I received the news. I am grateful to the Sunshine Development Tour because it has given us a chance to play high-level competitions here at home, and that has opened doors for me to go international,” she said.
She hopes her journey encourages more girls to pursue the sport.
Naomi Wafula follows her tee shot from 10th tee on day one of the Johnnie Walker Classic Sunshine Development Tour -- East Africa Swing at Royal Nairobi Golf Club in Nairobi on October 13, 2025.
“I hope other young women will see that it is possible to reach international platforms through this pathway. My goal now is to play in all Sunshine Ladies Tour events next season, and do my best in each tournament,” she said.
Njoroge secured his Sunshine Tour card directly by winning three Sunshine Development Tour events this season at Thika Greens Golf Resort, at Nyali Golf Club, and at Vet Lab Sports Club.
His consistent run has placed him at the top of the Tour standings. For his stellar performance in the Tour, he has climbed 1,896 places on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) from 3,508 before the start of the Tour to 1,612 at the moment, making him the highest-ranked golfer from East Africa in the world.
Kenya Golf Union chairman, Chris Kinuthia, said Kabugu and Wafula’s rise will enhance Kenya’s profile as a top destination for golf.
“The local golf fraternity, under the Kenya Golf Union, congratulates Njoroge Kibugu and Naomi Wafula on this milestone, which will, undoubtedly, enhance Kenya’s profile as a golfing nation. The achievements underscore the need for further investment in golf development in the country, both from an amateur and professional standpoint,” he said.
“It highlights the need for a sustained pathway such as the Sunshine Development Tour, and other golf tours which elevate local and regional golf to global standards. We look forward to following the progress of the two players in the Sunshine Tour.”
Kenya Ladies Golf Union chairperson, Rosemary Mkok, said Wafula’s appointment is a defining moment for the development of women’s golf in Kenya.
“We congratulate Wafula on this remarkable accomplishment, which immortalises her in Kenya’s golf history as the first female golfer to ever get a card to a global tour,” she said.
There are two more tournaments in Sunshine Development Tour East Africa scheduled for January. The first will be staged at Thika Greens Golf Resort, and will be the ninth leg of the Tour, followed by the Grand Finale at the Karen Country Club, where the top 30 players from the Tour will compete against the top 30 players from South Africa’s Big Easy Tour.
The finalists will compete for promotion cards to the main Sunshine Tour for the 2026 season.
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