How this self-made long-shot from Uganda made U.S. Newbie historical past

CHASKA, Minn. — On Monday, early on an ideal, windless Minnesota afternoon, Godfrey Nsubuga stepped onto the first tee at Hazeltine Nationwide Golf Membership able to play the largest event of his life — and instantly hit a snap-hook. It swooped left and landed toes from the waist-high fescue.

His fill-in caddie, Parker Etzel, a member of the South Dakota males’s golf group, jumped into motion, making an attempt to maintain his man constructive, to maintain his head proper, to persuade him this may be a straightforward one to shake off. However there was no want. Nsubuga? He laughed.

“He’s like probably the most constructive, energetic dude ever,” Etzel says.

Within the first spherical of the 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship, Nsubuga smiled, fist-pumped, hit driver off the deck, laughed, sang Ed Sheeran and smiled some extra. His driver, 3-wood and 4-iron have been borrowed from Hazeltine members. His bag belonged to a buddy.

However Nsubuga, 24, additionally made historical past. He turned the primary participant to characterize Uganda in probably the most prestigious beginner golf occasion on the earth. It didn’t occur in a single day, and it began in Africa, with golf golf equipment made out of Eucalyptus timber, with little teaching and on a golf course that’s really only a soccer pitch.

Godfrey Nsubuga [Pronounced SUE-Gah-BAH] grew up in Lugazi, Uganda, a rustic in East Africa that’s not essentially recognized for producing elite golfers. Nsubuga and his pals began out taking part in soccer, however finally golf grew on them. They’d discover branches from Eucalyptus timber, lower them down and form them into golf golf equipment. They needed to make their very own golf balls, too. When the soccer recreation was over on the close by pitch, they’d flip it into their golf course, establishing holes starting from 25 to 50 yards.

Golf is extraordinarily costly in Africa, so most aspiring gamers begin out as caddies to get restricted taking part in privileges. If they’re good, which may entice the eye of members, which ends up in extra taking part in alternatives. Nsubuga acquired his begin as a ball spotter at Mehta Golf Membership, moved as much as caddie and, when he was 15 — two years after he acquired his first set of golf golf equipment — joined the junior nationwide group that allowed him to play without cost. (His low spherical on his dwelling course is 12 below.) That opened the door for extra tournaments, which meant higher competitors and extra world rating factors.

“Caddying would assist us so much as a result of we may follow,” Nsubuga says, “after which via caddying you’d get the cash to play tournaments.”

Finally, individuals began to take discover.

Charles Penny II was employed because the Winston-Salem State College males’s golf coach in 2021, and shortly after he acquired an sudden name from a Uganda native within the States who tipped him off on a participant to placed on his radar. Penny first chatted with Nsubuga in 2021 and didn’t get an opportunity to fulfill him in individual till January 2024, when he enrolled at school. He’s been in a position to follow, however because of hiccups with the enrollment course of he has but to be cleared to play by the NCAA. They’re hopeful that is available in January 2025.

“I prefer to recruit nice younger males, nice college students, after which we take a look at the golfer,” says Penny, whereas on-site watching Nsubuga on Monday. “His potential to remain constructive and to all the time have an angle of gratitude, you don’t actually hear him ever get down. In all the things he does, he’s completely satisfied. Even in moments of adversity. He’s a mannequin for younger males making an attempt to play good golf. It’s infectious.”

Whereas he can’t play collegiate occasions but, Nsubuga continues to be getting higher. In June 2023 he wasn’t ranked within the prime 3,000 within the males’s World Newbie Golf Rating, however a runner-up end on the Coast Open Barry Cup in July helped him leap to 625th. He’s performed in solely two occasions this yr that rely towards his rating — lacking the lower on the Africa Newbie Championship in February and ending 79th on the Pacific Coast Newbie in July — and entered this week ranked 217th. At U.S. Newbie Ultimate Qualifying final month — within the first event he ever performed within the U.S. — Nsubuga hit 16 of 18 greens and shot a three-under 68 at Mid Pines in Southern Pines, N.C., to safe one of many 13 U.S. Newbie spots, making historical past for his nation.

Searching for some last-minute prep earlier than the U.S. Am, Edrine Okong, who grew up taking part in golf with Nsubuga in Uganda, launched him to Trillium Rose. Okong is three years older than Nsubuga and performed collegiately at Howard, the place Rose, the director of instruction at Woodmont Nation Membership in Rockville, Md., volunteers. He informed her she wanted to fulfill Nsubuga, so days earlier than he left for Minnesota, Nsubuga visited Rose on the far nook of a variety and acquired launched to TrackMan for the primary time in his life. He informed Rose he didn’t know his carry numbers however knew his distances inside about three yards. He informed her he hits a 9-iron about 150 to 153. Then he took a swing.

“He hit one which was like 152.7 yards,” Rose says. “OK, I assume you don’t want a TrackMan.”

In simply an hour, Rose got here away impressed and impressed. She mentioned Nsubuga is the last word really feel participant, somebody with nice palms and a pure feeling that reminded her of a talent set much like Seve Ballesteros. They mentioned the significance of carry distances and labored on his membership path and face angle to reduce a giant draw he performs. It acquired analytical with the information factors however Nsubuga understood, included the tweaks and instantly seeing the modifications.

“His energy is his really feel,” Rose says. “He is aware of the place the ball goes to go based mostly on doing various things together with his palms. He can hit the ball excessive and low and may juice a 7-iron to get extra roll or take it again. He’s very unpolished, nearly like a musician who sight-reads, however when you put music in entrance of him he’s like, ‘I don’t know what that is.’ The entire thing is simply gobsmacking in a extremely refreshing, great method.”

Nsubuga landed in Minneapolis on Friday night time and not using a place to remain and and not using a caddie. He lately created a GoFundMe page to assist pay for journey and bills for the U.S. Newbie and different future occasions, however Hazeltine members stepped in for this week. A member who lives off the fifteenth gap supplied his spare room, and Hazeltine workers discovered him a last-minute caddie, Etzel, who almost certified for this event himself, and dealt with the cost.

After two days of follow rounds — and following the snap-hook on the primary gap on Monday morning — Nsubuga made bogey and shot four-over 40 on the entrance. On 10 he acquired up and down from behind the inexperienced to avoid wasting par, fist-pumped after which turned his head when he heard Kajerero Ssebbaale shout “properly performed” in Luganda. The acquainted tongue was a shock, and Nsubuga flashed a smile at his buddy from again dwelling. Ssebbaale, 44, lives in Chaska now however knew Nsubuga from their membership in Uganda. Additionally following was Devoted Nakimali, 25, a buddy Nsubuga went to highschool with. They nonetheless keep in contact, and she or he drove seven hours from Kansas to observe him play. It was her first time on a golf course — she googled what to put on — and carried round a Uganda flag blanket, which Nsubuga draped round his shoulders hours later for a TV interview.

“He loves the sport,” Ssebbaale mentioned. “He loves, loves the sport. He’s all the time on the membership.”

Nsubuga’s lone birdie got here on the par-5 eleventh, when he hit driver off the deck after which lofted a nifty pitch to about eight toes. He fist-pumped as his ball discovered the opening. On 12, he hit one off the hosel and located the bunker, making bogey. He referred to as it a shank as quickly because it left the membership face, however he didn’t dwell on it.

“It doesn’t appear like he’s very aggressive as a result of he’s speaking to himself or cracking jokes on a regular basis, however that’s his method of calming himself down and coping with strain,” Okong says. “He doesn’t look critical, however inside his head he’s.”

Reality is, Nsubuga is aware of he can’t afford to get offended. Actually. Rising up, hitting or breaking a membership in frustration could be too expensive to interchange.

“In occasions of strain or when I’ve a mishit, I attempt to preserve smiling, discuss to my pals or simply sing in my head,” Nsubuga says. His go-to music is “Good” by Ed Sheeran, which he is aware of each phrase of, however these days it’s been “I’ll pray” by Ebuka Songs. “It’s only a approach for me. It helps me relax.”

He adopted up his bogey by making a 36-footer for par on 13, this time with an excellent larger fist-pump. He bogeyed two of his final three to shoot six-over 78. Needing to go low Tuesday at Chaska Town Course to make the match-play portion of the U.S. Newbie, Nsubuga shot three-over 73 to finish his week. However he’s OK with it; he’s acquired a title protection to arrange for anyway. His subsequent occasion is the Uganda Open, which he gained final yr.

“What actually struck me probably the most was how a lot he’s completed with so little polished assets or so little skilled teaching,” Rose says. “It’s actually refreshing to see somebody who has been ready to take action a lot out of the sheer love of it, and you’ll inform this man loves it and his coronary heart is in it. You simply don’t see that every single day.”

After his spherical on Monday, Nsubuga stopped to speak to his pals who visited, coach and host household for the week. He then checked out his caddie, Etzel, and mentioned, “Say weebale.” He did, type of, and Nsubuga informed him that meant “thanks.”

All of them laughed. Nsubuga smiled. He all the time does.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of many sport’s most-read information and repair web sites. He spends most of his days writing, enhancing, planning and questioning if he’ll ever break 80. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF.com in 2015, he labored at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State College in Mankato, Minn., he resides within the Twin Cities together with his spouse and two children. You may attain him at [email protected].