Rowan Lester will always have fond memories of the 2026 Rwanda Open, won by South Africa’s Kyle De Beer, even if a T41 finish does little for the Dubliner’s Order of Merit position.
Lester closed out the week with a two-under-par round of 70 – his third in succession – but it was a round that he’ll feel could’ve been a few shots lower as he made six birdies, but also carded two bogeys and a double.
But his lasting memory will be the 16th hole on Friday where he’d slipped below the cutline but then made a career-first hole-in-one, slam-dunking an 8-iron from 185 yards.
Liam Grehan’s week ended with a bizarre round in which he carded just five pars, making six birdies but seven bogeys to shoot a one-over 73 that left him tied for 50th at -6.
South Africa’s Kyle de Beer entered the final round tied for the lead with England’s Joe Sullivan, but it was the Springbok who claimed his first Sunshine Tour title by an impressive six shots.
“It’s surreal to be honest. To get my first win here is a dream come true. It’s an amazing venue with amazing people here in Rwanda. I could not have scripted it better,” said an elated De Beer after his final round of 64 to win on 27-under-par.
Estiaan Conradie took second place on 21 under par following his final round of 69.
De Beer made his intentions clear early on, starting the final round with three birdies over the first four holes. He went on to add a further five birdies on his way to a victory that has felt a long time coming following the 11 top-10s in his career to date.
“I think I just confirmed what I really thought about myself in that I knew I could win out here – to have the validation now is amazing. It really feels like all the work that I’ve put in with my whole team over the last year has slowly started building into something, and for it to materialize now is amazing,” De Beer said.
By winning the Rwanda Open, De Beer also opened the door for entry into some lucrative upcoming events on the Sunshine Tour.
“We all know that from December, January and February we do have some very big golf events to play, so to be into all of those without any stress and to be able to prepare properly, it’s a great time to win,” he said.
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