Magical Kenya Open Presented by Absa – The debrief  

The first event of a three-week Africa swing saw a Spaniard emulate the late, great Seve Ballesteros and a local hope thrill the home crowds. Here is everything you need to know from the Magical Kenya Open Presented by Absa.

Three is a magic number for Jorge 

After a three-year absence from the winner’s circle, Jorge Campillo landed his third triumph on the DP World Tour at Muthaiga Golf Club on Sunday. A five-under-par 66 in the final round, featuring six birdies and a lone bogey, saw the Spaniard finish at 18-under-par and earned him a two-shot victory over Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura. He follows in the footsteps of Seve Ballesteros, who won this event in 1978, as well as countrymen José María Cañizares and Jordi Garcia Pinto after they triumphed in 1984 and 2013 respectively. The 36-year-old held a one-shot overnight advantage and he remained in control after a run of four birdies in five holes on the front nine as he held off the challenge of Kawamura. His previous Tour wins came in Morocco in 2019 and most recently in Qatar a year later. “It’s always nice to win a golf tournament, but if you have a name on the trophy with Seve it’s more special for a Spaniard,” he said afterwards. With his victory, Campillo climbs to eighth on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex and almost 100 spots on the Official World Golf Ranking to 159th.

Mutahi’s magical moment

One of 14 Kenyan players in the field, Mutahi Kibugu delivered the feel-good moment of the tournament on Friday. In his first DP World Tour start as a professional, the 22-year-old local favourite sent the home crowds into a frenzy with a closing birdie in the second round to safely make the cut. In doing so, he earned the bragging rights over his younger brother and amateur Njoroge who was unable to make the weekend after being the highest-placed Kenyan player at this event last season. Reflecting on his time in the spotlight over the past four days, Mutahi said: “I just have one word to describe it – surreal. All the attention I got, all the support I got was just amazing. I can’t thank everyone enough for what they’ve done this week.”

Japanese pair impress

It’s been a fine start to life on the DP World Tour for Ryo Hisatsune. The 20-year-old Japanese shot the joint low round of the week with a nine-under-par 63 on Friday and ended the week with a 65 on Sunday to share third place alongside Spaniard Santiago Tarrio. With a runner-up finish in Australia and another top ten to his name last time out in India, it is no wonder Hisatsune spoke of his delight at playing on Tour earlier this week. Kawamura, nine years older than his compatriot, finished one shot and one place better off in Kenya after a closing 66 and is another who will likely generate a lot of interest when the DP World Tour makes its first visit to Japan next month for the ISPS HANDA – CHAMPIONSHIP.

Giving back to the local community

For every event on the DP World Tour, we invite our members to take part in off-course activities including clinics, sustainability efforts and talks with aspiring junior golfers. Last week saw three junior clinics take place, while Steven Brown and Benjamin Follett-Smith visited Muthaiga Primary School to plant some trees in support of the Kenya Open Golf Limited’s sustainability initiative. In addition, Max Kieffer and his caddie Takashi Ohagen bought supplies for some locals following an emotional encounter with a young homeless family. Great initiative, guys!

Amazing ace

Uganda's Ronald Rugumayo became the eleventh player on the DP World Tour to make a hole in one so far this season and the first ever from his country. During the first round, he holed his tee-shot at the par-three second from 201 yards with an eight iron for his piece of history.

Celebrating International Women’s Day

To mark International Women's Day, celebrated last Wednesday, the DP World Tour spoke to two women whose roles were fundamental in the staging of Kenya’s national open. Grace Wambui, Assistant Superintendent at Muthaiga Golf Club along with Gaia Zonchello, a Referee and Tournament Official at the Tour, discussed their jobs in the golf industry and their paths to get where they are today.