The inaugural Sunshine Rwanda Open golf tournament came to a close on Sunday, September 25, 2026, with South African golfers making a significant impact. Kyle de Beer from Gqeberha, South Africa, claimed his first Sunshine Tour title, winning by an impressive six strokes at the Kigali Golf Resort & Villas. De Beer's final round score of 8-under-par 64 earned him a total score of 261, 27 under par.
De Beer's victory was a dominant one, with six of the top eight players on the leaderboard being South African. Estiaan Conradie finished second with a score of 21 under par, while Daniel Cronje, Travis Procter, Ryan van der Klis, and Cole Stevens shared third place with Germany's Allen John and France's Benjamin Kedochim, all finishing on 20 under par. The top leaderboard positions were: 1st Kyle de Beer (South Africa) 261 -27, 2nd Estiaan Conradie (South Africa) 267 -21, and T3rd Daniel Cronje (South Africa), Allen John (Germany), Benjamin Kedochim (France), Travis Procter (South Africa), Ryan van der Klis (South Africa), and Cole Stevens (South Africa) all on 268 -20.
De Beer's winning caddie, Stanley May, was awarded the Sunshine Tour caddie medallion for his role in the victory. The Rwanda Open was organised by Greenride Africa in partnership with the Sunshine Tour, Visit Rwanda, the Ministry of Sports, and the Rwanda Golf Union, with NCBA Bank Rwanda as a corporate sponsor. This event marked Rwanda's first full Sunshine Tour tournament, carrying a prize fund of Rwf2.5 billion, equivalent to about US$135,000, and offering Official World Golf Ranking points.
The tournament was played from September 24 to 27, 2026, and combined professional golf with entertainment and family activities, including live music, DJ performances, a children's zone, and food and drinks. The event was announced in July as part of efforts to expand professional golf in Africa, bringing Kigali onto the Sunshine Tour's professional golf calendar and giving Rwanda a new platform for hosting international golf.
De Beer and England's Joe Sullivan began the final round tied for the lead on 19 under par. De Beer quickly moved clear, making birdies on three of his first four holes and adding five more birdies during the round to finish with a 64. This victory earns De Beer exemptions into the Sunshine Tour's co-sanctioned summer events later in the season.
The Kigali course produced low scores throughout the four days, with South Africa's Travis Procter and Nikhil Rama sharing the first-round lead on 9 under par. On Friday, Sullivan came close to golfing history with a 12-under-par 60, including two eagles and eight birdies, taking him to 15 under par and the outright lead after the second round.
Rwanda's Celestin Nsanzuwera was the best-placed East African player, finishing tied for 25th on 14 under par after a 5-under-par 67 on Sunday. Jean Baptiste Hakizimana also finished inside the top 30, while Kenya's Greg Snow was among the other strong performers from the region.
Key points
- Kyle de Beer won his first Sunshine Tour title at the inaugural Rwanda Open.
- The tournament was a significant event for Rwanda, marking its first full Sunshine Tour tournament.
- South African golfers dominated the leaderboard, occupying six of the top eight positions.
