“Academics isn’t your strong suit”: How Kibugu’s mum pushed him to golf greatness

And yet, in the last four years, the only two players to have made the cut at the Magical Kenya Open are him and his older brother Mutahi.

These are great apples that didn’t fall too far from the tree. There was always golf at home because there was always a golfer at home. His father, Dan Kagwe, is no casual weekend hacker - he was captain of Uganda Golf Club. He would tell his sons, with absolute conviction, that they were the best golfers in the country. One day they’ll see, he used to say. He was right. They have seen.

He went to golf school in South Africa at 17, and that is where the dream stopped being a dream and became a plan. He is 22 now, but he is already thinking well past himself. “My dream is to be world number one. Not the greatest golfer Kenya has ever seen - the greatest Africa has ever seen. To change the narrative that golf is an old man’s sport, a rich man’s sport. My dream is to make it accessible to everyone.”

He’s serious about that mission, and his life’s mission. And when you sit down with him, it is difficult to imagine that he is only 22. Well, until you look at the mane.

How was your state of mind on that 18th hole, before the shot?

It’s all about processing. Getting ready. Figuring out the distance, the club, what the wind is doing- whether it’s blowing left or right, whether it’s behind you.

Even the time of day matters. It was getting late, around 5.30pm, and the ball doesn’t travel as far then, so we had to factor all that in. “We” being me and Bo, my caddie. We’re discussing all this in those 30 seconds. Then once that’s settled, you hit the shot. At that point, my mind goes blank - second nature takes over. You’ve done the thinking, so you just hit the ball.

Are you surprised that you're here?

No [Chuckles] No, it’s something I’ve been working towards. In fact, I underachieved relative to what I wanted to do. Obviously, the moment itself was really nice, but it’s not the result I wanted. I was aiming for a top 10- at worst, a top 30 - but I didn’t make that. So, yeah, it’s bittersweet. A great moment, but still bittersweet. At the same time, for the country, it was really nice.

Your father is an ardent golfer …

My dad is a golfer as well. He started playing when he was about 26 and was the captain of Uganda Golf Club in 2002. He was working with FedEx there at the time, so when my brother and I were born, he was already a captain- and that’s really what got us into golf.

He played off a scratch handicap, I think that’s the lowest, and at some point, he even played for the Uganda national team, which, as a Kenyan, I’m still not entirely sure how that worked. But yeah, he’s played a big role in us getting into golf and supporting us. He’s an avid golfer.

Did you always feel like this was your path?

Kind of. Sometimes. Honestly, until the age of 15, I played for fun. I always knew I was okay at it, But when I turned 15, I realised I was having more fun than I was in school.

I genuinely enjoyed it, so I started taking it seriously. That’s when I began to realise I was actually good. No one else knew it yet, but I kind of knew, deep down, that I was really good. It took a while. Then at 17, I went to a golf school in South Africa, and that’s when I set my sights on it. This is what I’m going to do.

Did your father intentionally influence you to take up the sport?

He mostly just watched. He let us choose what we wanted to do, but once we chose something, we had to do it to the best of our ability, really push at it, be the best we could be.

So whether it was academics or golf, he’d just say, “Do what you’re good at.” And he always told us we were good at golf. He’d come home and say, “I see you guys winning the Kenya Open one day. We’ll do it.” That’s one of his dreams. So if one day I can accomplish that for him, it would be very fulfilling. He was always like that - coming home, telling us, “You guys are the best golfers in this country, one day they’ll see.”

Did you believe him?

I believed him. Sometimes I’d tell him, “Dad, you’re just chatting.” But he was right. He manifested it, and it came to be. In the last four years, the only two people who’ve made the cut at the Kenya Open have been Kibugus, me and my brother. So yeah, I’d say he’s been quite influential.

You mentioned that this has been one of his dreams. What's your ?

My dream is to be world number one. Not just the greatest golfer Kenya has ever seen, but the greatest Africa has ever seen. To be an inspiration to young children and juniors coming up - that’s my dream.

To change the narrative that golf is an old man’s sport, a rich man’s sport. I want to make it accessible to everyone. And through that - by playing good golf - make them dream. Then, once I’m done, come back and give back to the game that will, hopefully, have given me so much.

When did you realise that, “man, I’m good at this! This is my thing!”

[Laughs] Probably during Covid. We were supposed to do our IGCSEs, but Covid hit, so we didn’t sit the exams. I suddenly had a lot of time to play golf. There was this tournament, the Kenya Amateur Match Play, one of the biggest and most prestigious amateur events in the country.

Coming into it, I was really nervous. I think I was 16 and didn’t have many expectations. It was a one-on-one, and I ended up beating one of the top amateurs in the country, who was also the top junior. I lost in the semis, but I caused a big upset that no one expected. That’s when I thought, okay… I’m better than these guys. That’s probably when I first saw it.

What story do you want your hair to tell?

[Laughs] Oh, this hair? [Pause] Be you. Be yourself. That’s the story I want to tell, you don’t have to have a traditional haircut or look the way someone else thinks you should in order to do what you do.

As long as you do it well, that’s what matters. Sometimes I’ll even do cornrows, and guys will say, “Hey, this guy looks like a rapper, a thug.” [Laughs] And I’ll be like, no, it looks good to me.

With what you know and have accomplished in golf so far, what would you say makes for an exceptional golfer?

The mind. It’s all in the mind, how you approach things, how you react to different situations, to bad shots, to good ones. How you come into a tournament, or even just a regular round, whether your mindset is negative or positive.

If you approach it with a positive mindset, you start to see the good in your game. You don’t fixate on the bad. It’s the same with life. If you approach life negatively, that’s all you’ll see. But if you approach it positively, you’re happier. Your heart isn’t as heavy. You don’t get as angry. So yeah, the mind is a very big thing. Probably the biggest.

Talking of money, you made a substantial amount - from the president, from the bank, and from the tournament. Almost Sh8m. That's a lot of money for anyone. What’s your money plan?

One of the biggest things, especially since partnering with NCBA, is learning how to manage my money. They haven’t just taken me on as a golfer; they’ve helped me think about my financial future.

I’ve worked with Jesse and Kevin - Kevin is my relationship manager - and he’s been mentoring me on how to use my money, how to invest it. That’s where my focus is now.

They’ve helped me understand that this money isn’t just for now, it can benefit my future. I see money as a byproduct of what you do. If you do what you do well, the money will come. Money doesn’t make me better than the next person. It’s just security.

How much of yourself have you put in the game to get here?

It’s been a lot of work. Long days. Morning practice. Gym four times a week. Playing almost every day. And then the bad spells, there were times I wanted to quit. 2024 was really tough. I missed a lot of cuts. There are stretches where you make zero money, even for a whole year, and yet you’re putting so much into it. I’ve been through that. Being resilient through it is hard. It can get very stressful.

Coming into 2025, my goal was simple: do the best I could and secure some form of sponsorship or support. It was still tough. But I’ve realised financial backing makes a huge difference. When NCBA came on board, I felt lighter.

I’ve won two tournaments since, and my golf has been more consistent. It’s that feeling, knowing someone has your back. Before that, I didn’t have it. I didn’t have someone behind me, pushing me, allowing me to chase the dream.

Do you feel 22?

No.[Laughs.] I feel 35. [Long pause] Right now, I’d probably be in college, living the best days of my life; going out, making friends, socialising, having drinks, partying… Just enjoying life. I don’t get to do that as much. My life is more structured, making sure the work is done, my finances are in order, investments are right, going to business meetings, [Chuckles] spending time in offices. [Pause]

And having a boss…it’s still a bit weird. For the longest time, I was my own boss. Now I have bosses at NCBA, but they’re really kind, really good people. I worry I’ll age too quickly. So I try to slow down and remind myself that I’m still 22 - I still need to live a little, have fun, go out, relax... Otherwise, I feel like one day it’ll all pass me by, and I’ll never get to relive it.

You haven’t mentioned your mom. Tell me about her.

Yes, my mom! She probably played just as big a role as my dad. I left college in 2022, and a lot of people ask if that was my decision. What they don’t know is that my mom is the one who came to me and said, “Njoroge, I know academics isn’t your strong suit. I think you should play golf.” I was like, really? [Laughs] That’s what I should do? Are you sure? What about dad? And she said, “He’ll understand. Just frame it in a way that you’ll get your degree one day.”

So I told my dad - and that’s how it started. She’s the one who pushed me. She used to drop me off at every event. Even now, she’s always on me: “Golf, golf. Practice, practice. That’s what will sort you out in life.” Even during the Kenya Open, when I thought I’d played well the first day, she told me, “That’s not you. I know you can do better.”

If I’m not in first place, she’ll say, “You’re not being yourself. That’s for other people, not for you.” She puts me in that winner’s mindset. Sometimes I tell her, “Okay, mom, relax. It’s not every day you win.” But she’ll say, “No, you’re a winner. You have to win.”

Even back in school, during exam season, she’d ask, “Do you want to go play this tournament?” I’d hesitate and say, “dad might not be happy”. But she’d say, “Just go. See how you play. See how close you can get to winning.” Sometimes I’d do terribly, but she’d still push me to go again.

I think she saw something in me that I couldn’t see yet. My dad facilitated the dream, but my mom is the one who put it in my head. She’s the one who shaped how I think.

Did you enjoy school?

No. [Laughs and looks at PR] Am I supposed to be honest?

Yes, be honest.

No, I was never good at school. I’ve never been the best at grasping information from books. I’m a very visual learner, that’s why I’m good at golf. I can see what the ball is doing. When my coach explains something, it’s a motion with my body, and I can feel it. That’s how I learn.

Even with other things, like ping pong or tennis, if you show me the motion, I’ll get it. Spin, topspin, a knuckleball, a dead ball, I can pick it up quickly. But if I sit down and read a book like this… it’s hard for me. [Laughs] Even now, if I read for an hour and you ask me what I just read, I won’t be able to tell you. [Chuckles]

One thing that helped a bit was writing notes and cramming. I’d remember them for a short time, but it wouldn’t stick. The only books I’ve ever really absorbed are mental books about golf, because I’m genuinely interested. It helps my craft. So yeah, school and I have never had a great relationship. But I will get a degree. I have to, it’s a challenge I need to face and overcome.

What are you scared of now as a 22 year old?

[Very long pause] Nothing. I feel like I’ve been given all the tools to succeed, through NCBA, my parents, Windsor. Everything is there. I just have to go out and get it. I also feel like if I make space for fear - if I let myself get scared - I won’t perform. So I can’t let that into my mind.

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