- Njoroge Kibugu remains confident of finishing strong despite enduring a difficult outing on Saturday morning at the ongoing 2026 Magical Kenya Open.
- He faced a challenging stretch, carding five bogeys after dropping shots on holes 1, 3, 4, 5, and 15, making it a demanding round on the course.
- Kibugu slipped from five under to one under by the end of the round.
Kenya’s golf sensation Njoroge Kibugu insists he’s not throwing in the towel despite a rough ride during Saturday morning’s third round at the 2026 Magical Kenya Open.
After storming into the weekend in spectacular fashion with a stunning eagle on the 18th on Friday and a follow-up birdie on the seventh, Kibugu looked sharp and composed, with all signs pointing to him carrying that momentum into Saturday.
However, the day proved demanding, with chilly temperatures at Karen Country Club in Nairobi adding to the test.
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Kibugu endured a rough stretch, carding five bogeys after dropping shots on holes 1, 3, 4, 5, and 15, making it a taxing round on the course.
He managed to snatch a lone birdie on the 18th, but it was not enough to stop his slide. Kibugu went from five under to one under by the time the round wrapped up.
Kibugu remains defiant after tough third round at 2026 Magical Kenya Open
Speaking after the round, the 22-year-old did not hide his disappointment but kept his head high.
“It was a long day. I did not recover as well as I had hoped after yesterday. I started strong, had some decent looks on the back nine which was my front nine, but just could not get anything to drop on the greens. Hopefully, we can flip that tomorrow,” Kibugu shared.
He also opened up about his goals for the tournament, admitting he had his eyes on a top-10 finish to punch his ticket to next week’s event in South Africa. But even with that slipping away, he’s not backing down.
“There’s still plenty to fight for. Obviously, I wanted to finish top 10 and head to S.A next week, but that will have to wait. I have still got bullets in the chamber. I will be out there battling no matter what,” he said with determination.
Kibugu was the only Kenyan to make the cut this weekend, standing tall among 17 local players who teed off.
Not only did he lock in a paycheck, but he also snapped a two-year drought for Kenya, no local player had made the cut since his brother did it back in 2023.