- Kenyan golf star Njoroge Kibugu earned handsomely at the Magical Kenya Open, pocketing millions after representing Kenya brilliantly at Karen Country Club.
- Kibugu was awarded KSh 5 million by President William Ruto and an additional KSh 2 million from ABSA Bank, while his share of the tournament prize money amounted to over KSh 900,000.
- He capped off the 2026 Magical Kenya Open with an impressive six-under-par finish on Sunday, February 22.
Kenyan golf sensation Njoroge Kibugu wrapped up the 2026 Magical Kenya Open all smiles, laughing all the way to the bank after pocketing millions and putting the nation firmly on the global map.
Kibugu was the only among the 17 Kenyan player to survive the cut in the four-day tournament held at the par-70 Karen Country Club in Nairobi.
Competing in the 57th edition of the event, which ran from Thursday, February 19 to Sunday, February 22, he became the first local golfer since his brother Mutahi Kibugu in 2023 to make it to the weekend rounds – breaking a two-year national drought.
ALSO READ: Njoroge Kibugu finishes six under par as Casey Jarvis wins 2026 Magical Kenya Open for maiden title
The 22-year-old delivered a dazzling performance in the final round, finishing six under par with a bogey-free 65, highlighted by five birdies on holes 1, 11, 12, 14, and 18.
While Kibugu did not crack the top ten, he achieved something even more meaningful: ending Kenya’s two-year cut jinx on home soil.
Millions Kibugu cashes in after shining at the 2026 Magical Kenya Open
His heroics did not go unnoticed. During the awards ceremony on Sunday, February 22, President William Ruto personally praised the young golfer and announced a Sh5 million reward through the Ministry of Sports.
Congratulations to this young man, Njoroge Kibugu. You have made us proud as a nation. Thank you for your effort. To inspire more young golfers, I’m asking Salim Mvurya, the Minister of Sports, to accord him Sh5 million to help nurture more talent,” Ruto said.
Also in attendance were Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Sports Minister Salim Mvurya, and Tourism Minister Rebecca Miano, among other top government officials.
But the rewards did not stop there. Absa Bank, the event’s main sponsor, also stepped up.
Board Chairman Mohammed Nyaoga announced an additional Sh2 million for Kibugu, praising his resilience and representation of Kenyan pride on an international stage.
ALSO READ: Njoroge Kibugu saves best for last to make Magical Kenya Open 2026 cut in style
As for the tournament winner, Kibugu’s age mate Casey Jarvis of South Africa claimed his first DP World Tour title in style with a wire-to-wire victory, earning the champion’s jacket and a whopping $459,000 cheque approximately Sh60 million.
Kibugu also took home a share of the record $2.7 million prize purse, banking $7,150 (around Sh921,923) for his performance.
Combined with the presidential and Absa bonuses, his total earnings from the tournament hit an impressive Sh7.9 million.
Magical Kenya Open 2026 prize money payouts
- Casey Jarvis $459,000
- Davis Bryant $297,000
- Hennie du Plessis $170,100
- Francesco Laporta $135,000
- Nathan Kimsey $114,480
- Jacob Skov Olesen $94,500
- Matthew Jordan $81,000
- Angel Ayora $67,500
- Cameron Adam $60,480
- Ricardo Gouveia $54,000
- Frederic Lacroix $51,750
- Romain Langasque $51,750
- Sebastian Söderberg $51,750
- Oihan Guillamoundeguy $39,600
- Tapio Pulkkanen $39,600
- Antoine Rozner $39,600
- Ben Schmidt $39,600
- Jorge Campillo $33,120
- Aaron Cockerill $33,120
- Sebastian Garcia $33,120
- Jacques Kruyswijk $33,120
- Ryan van Velzen $33,120
- Gregorio De Leo $28,190
- Wenyi Ding $28,190
- Manuel Elvira $28,190
- Alex Fitzpatrick $28,190
- Joakim Lagergren $28,190
- Jason Scrivener $28,190
- Thriston Lawrence $23,650
- Alexander Levy $23,650
- Mikael Lindberg $23,650
- Daniel Rodrigues $23,650
- Jack Senior $23,650
- Kiradech Aphibarnrat $18,800
- Joe Dean $18,800
- Andreas Halvorsen $18,800
- Scott Jamieson $18,800
- Niklas Lemke $18,800
- David Ravetto $18,800
- Maximilian Steinlechner $18,800
- Euan Walker $18,800
- Adri Arnaus $14,850
- Jordan Gumberg $14,850
- Tobias Jonsson $14,850
- David Law $14,850
- Mike Toorop $14,850
- Bernd Wiesberger $14,850
- Frederico Biondi Figueiredo $11,825
- Sadom Kaewkanjana $11,825
- Zander Lombard $11,825
- Mark Power $11,825
- Shubhankar Sharma $11,825
- Veer Ahlawat $9,718
- David Micheluzzi $9,718
- Marcel Siem $9,718
- Alejandro Del Rey $8,525
- Justin Harding $8,525
- Angel Hidalgo $8,525
- Ryggs Johnston $8,525
- Richard Sterne $8,525
- Andres German Gallegos $7,150
- Njoroge Kibugu $7,150
- James Morrison $7,150
- Yurav Premlall $7,150
- Daniel van Tonder $7,150
- Lukas Nemecz $6,325
- Matthew Baldwin $5,913
- Benjamin Follett-Smith $5,913
- W/D Jeff Winther $5,500
