The DP World Tour returns to action with the Magical Kenya Open Presented by Absa, at the start of a three-week Africa swing. Here are your five things to know.
2023 season continues with Africa return
After a one-week break on the 2023 DP World Tour schedule, the season resumes with a return to Africa for the 54th edition of the Magical Kenya Open Presented by Absa. Muthaiga Golf Club plays host with 2,750 points available on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex along with 2,500 Ryder Cup points up for grabs. Kenya is one of 25 countries across five continents the Tour is visiting during this campaign, and all five of those continents are represented in this week’s field. The Tour staged four events in Africa earlier in the season which were co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour as part of a long-standing strategic alliance. Kenya’s national open will be followed by two new DP World Tour events in South Africa, beginning with the SDC Championship and then the Jonsson Workwear Open which runs parallel to the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in the United States.
History-maker Wu makes title defence
Last year, Wu Ashun became the first Asian golfer to win the Magical Kenya Open and the first Chinese player to win a DP World Tour event in Africa. Wu entered the final day at Muthaiga four shots off the lead but never looked back after making four birdies in a row from the seventh, signing for a closing 65 to celebrate his fourth DP World Tour title. The victory would prove instrumental in him qualifying for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship. The 37-year-old is the most successful Chinese golfer on Tour and comes into this week 32nd on the Race to Dubai Rankings after a consistent start to the 2023 season. He is yet to miss a cut in five starts this year, registering back-to-back top 20s at the opening two Rolex Series events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Local players ready to impress
As well as welcoming a field from around the world, the tournament provides the perfect opportunity for local players to make their mark. There are 14 Kenyan players in the field this week, including six amateurs. Njoroge Kibugu returns after carding rounds of 70-66-73-77 to finish the week as the low amateur last season. The 19-year-old went on an excellent run of form after impressing in his homeland, finishing no lower than third in six of his next seven amateur events, winning twice. His older brother Mutahi is making his DP World Tour debut this week.
An event with a long Challenge Tour history
First played in 1967, this is the fourth edition of Kenya’s national open to be staged as a DP World Tour event. Previously won by the legendary Seve Ballesteros in 1978 and fellow European great Ian Woosnam in 1986, those two victories came before the event joined the European Challenge Tour schedule in 1991. Since then, it has witnessed more memorable moments with Trevor Immelman winning his first professional title in 2000, eight years before becoming the third player to win both the Kenya Open and the Masters Tournament. In total, Muthaiga hosted the tournament on 18 occasions between 1991 and 2018 when it was part of the Challenge Tour schedule. Edoardo Molinari is another European player with Ryder Cup experience to have won in Kenya, having claimed one of his five Challenge Tour titles here in 2007.
Tree planting to take place as part of Green Drive initiative
As part of the European Tour group’s Green Drive initiative, Steven Brown and Benjamin Follett-Smith will help to plant trees at Muthaiga Primary School on Wednesday, joining ministers from the Kenyan government to support the activity on the eve of the tournament. Last year, tournament title partner Absa pledged to plant 10,000 fruit trees in Kenyan schools. Green Drive is a strengthened commitment and approach towards priority issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, air and ocean pollution and sustainable and ethical procurement. The Tour is committed to reducing our carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 and being fully net zero carbon by 2040.
To find out more about OCEANTEE, click here.
