Tournament: Magical Kenya Open presented by absa
Race to Dubai: Tournament 12 of 44 events
The International Swing: Tournament 6 of 8 events
Venue: Muthaiga Golf Club, Nairobi, Kenya
Prize Fund: $2,500,000
Hashtag: #MKO2024 #DPWT
Tournament Preview
Thriston Lawrence hopes to make strides towards his goals for the 2024 season with another positive performance at the Magical Kenya Open presented by absa.
The South African, a four-time winner on the DP World Tour, has targets of representing his nation at the Olympics, playing in Major Championships and earning a place on the International side at the Presidents Cup later this year.
Two of the 27-year-old’s four DP World Tour victories have come on his home continent of Africa and he also finished runner-up in his debut appearance at this event in 2022.
He will tee it up in the first two rounds at Muthaiga Golf Club alongside the DP World Tour’s most recent winner, Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino, and 2019 Magical Kenya Open champion Guido Migliozzi, who won the event in its last staging at Karen Country Club.
Nick Bachem hopes to build on his experience of this event from last year as he contended at the halfway stage in his rookie season on Tour. He wasn’t disheartened by his struggles over the weekend as he won his maiden DP World Tour title at the Jonsson Workwear Open a fortnight later.
Also bidding for success this week is Mutahi Kibugu, who led the home charge at his national open last year. Kibugu, making his first appearance in the event as a professional, made the weekend in Nairobi with a stand-out moment coming on the 18th green on Friday afternoon as he holed a long-range birdie putt to comfortably make the cut.
Player Quotes
Thriston Lawrence: “I like the course; I came second here a couple of years ago. It’s a bit softer than the last time we played. But I grew up on golf courses like this. It’s quite tree-lined, a lot of dog legs, the greens are fairly smooth, which helps for me as a decent iron player. If you hit the middle of the green, you’re not going to have the longest putts. I really like it and I’m looking forward to the week.
“We try and forget about the last performance and focus on a new one. Good performances do help and give you momentum, but straight after that (Dubai Invitational) I missed two cuts in a row by one shot. It feels like I’m in the best of form but not the best of momentum after the last few weeks, especially having a week off last week. But I need to try and stick to my game plan and hopefully that works.”
Guido Migliozzi: “It’s always good to be back in Kenya. Great memories from my first win on Tour. I love the place, love the people and I like this course. It’s tight, you have to be very precise from the tee. It’s good, good vibes.
“I have great memories from my win at Karen in 2019. I hit a great recovery shot on the ninth and the last shot when I hit the pin, a clutch moment for me and to win your first DP World Tour event, it’s a great feeling. My main goal is to get back to higher levels. I feel like I’m building something that will help me day by day. I’ll keep doing the process.”
Nick Bachem: “I really liked Kenya last year. I like the people, the nature and all the animals you can see. So I definitely wanted to come back for the tournament. It was cool for me at the start of the season and my career on the Tour to know I can contend after two days, then I was a bit nervous in a new situation over the weekend. I’m definitely looking forward to this week and playing four good rounds.
“I think after the first two rounds here, when I was super calm and just enjoying playing, then being in a position where I was in the last group, I was thinking ‘I can win the tournament’ and I had such big expectations for the weekend. Then I realised it doesn’t work like this, you just need to play some golf and see what happens in the end. After being in the lead at the Jonsson Workwear Open it was much easier for me to stay calm and keep on playing and keep enjoying playing.”
Mutahi Kibugu: “It feels great. It’s my home and all my friends and family are watching me. I’m playing with some of the best players on the planet, the fact I’m doing that at home is amazing. It’s a special week for me.
“It helps keep me up, keeps me enjoying things on the golf course. Even if I hit a poor shot I have plenty of support, so my head goes right back up. My Dad is out there watching me, it makes me feel like I’m not on the world’s stage, just that I’m playing another round. My bigger brother, my sister, younger brother who is in the tournament as well and my Mum and Dad will be with me.
“(On 18 last year) I watch videos even now and still get a buzz. It was an amazing thing. I hope to make plenty more memories this year.
“When the DP World Tour first came to Kenya in 2019 I played as an amateur. I really enjoyed that moment at Karen Country Club. That was my first experience of something as big as this. I hold that close to my heart.”
