Ugandan professional Ronald Rugumayo has labelled the CIO Golf Championship a pivotal tournament for Safari Tour competitors, pointing to its ₦100 million prize fund, substantial ranking rewards and importance in the race to reach the Magical Kenya Open.
Rugumayo, among the relatively small number of East African professionals to have played the tournament on several occasions, believes the expanding purse has attracted many of Africa’s strongest golfers. That has increased the quality of the field while also lifting the value of the ranking points available.
Key event on the Safari Tour
Rugumayo said the CIO Championship can transform a player’s position on the Safari Tour standings.
“The CIO is the one event with the greatest impact on the Safari Tour because players can earn so many points by doing well,” he said. “For players who have struggled or fallen behind, it is the tournament that offers the biggest opportunity to make up ground.”
- The championship is one of eight selected tournaments in the Road to Magical Kenya Open 2027 programme.
- It is sanctioned jointly by Kenya Open Golf Limited and the Sunshine Development Tour.
- Players are ranked on their four strongest results, with points determined by the prize money earned.
- The pathway has already benefited Nigerian golf, with 2025 CIO winner Francis Epe earning a place in the 2026 Magical Kenya Open, a DP World Tour tournament.
Investment in Nigerian golf
Chief Ikenna Okafor, chairman of tournament sponsor Keves Global Leasing, said the event’s growing profile across Africa is the result of long-term work to showcase Nigeria’s golfing potential.
“For the last six years, my team and I have been focused on using this tournament to highlight the enormous golfing talent in Nigeria,” Okafor said. “It has grown into one of the benchmark events for Nigerian golf on the continent.”
Seventh edition schedule
- The seventh CIO Golf Championship has brought together players representing 17 African nations.
- A total of 210 amateurs are also involved, including juniors aged between three and 17 who took part in Sunday’s opening programme on November 8.
- A round for caddies is scheduled for Monday, November 9.
- The four-day professional tournament will be staged from November 12 to 15 at Python Golf Club in Port Harcourt.
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara described the tournament as an important driver of sports tourism and restated the government’s backing for the championship.
