South Africa’s James Kingston won the 2026 Romanian Open Championship in Bucharest, finishing the three-day tournament at 15 under par and claiming the title for the second time after his 2024 victory.
James Kingston closed the event on 129 strokes, two shots ahead of France’s Xavier Poncelet, who finished at 13 under. Czech golfer Kristýna Napoleaová took third place at 12 under.
The third edition of Romania’s only professional golf tournament brought together 20 professional golfers and 60 amateurs at Bucharest Golf Club and the National Golf & Country Club, with a total prize fund of €100,000.
Napoleaová posts best second round
Napoleaová produced one of the strongest individual performances of the tournament, carding a nine-under-par second round at the National Golf & Country Club, the best score of the day. Her third-place finish was also the best result achieved by a woman in the mixed professional field.
Women ultimately occupied three of the top five positions. Ana Dawson finished fourth at 10 under, while Louise Rydqvist took fifth at nine under. Australia’s Kristalle Blum was sixth at eight under, while Spain’s Javier Otaegui and Santiago Luna shared seventh place at six under.
Pro-Am format brings professionals and amateurs together
The Romanian Open once again used a Pro-Am format, pairing professional and amateur players during the tournament. The structure allows Romanian golfers to compete alongside established international players and gave the event a broader competitive field than a conventional professional-only tournament.
DP World was again the main Partner for the Romanian Open Championship. The company has been operating in the country for more than 20 years, with the Port of Constanța marking its first investment in Europe.
The company has been involved in professional golf since 2009 and became title partner of the DP World Tour in 2022. The DP World Tour now features 42 tournaments across 26 countries, providing a global platform for professional go
