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Eight local players who made it to the Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa will shoulder Kenya’s hopes of not just qualifying as many players as possible to the second round of the European Tour event, but fans will also be hoping that a local player goes all the way to win the title.
A victory by a Kenyan will not just be an historical moment since no Kenyan has ever won the Open since the event started in 1967, but it will also be a life-changing moment for the winner. Most of the past winners of the Open have gone on to become world stars, some of them going all the way to join the lucrative PGA Tour of America.
The Kenya Open has always been a tough affair even when it was a Challenge Tour event. For one to qualify or earn a European Tour card, one had to finish among the top 15 at the end of the season.
Others preferred going through the European Tour School, which is not easy either.
Now, Kenya no longer has a Challenge Tour event but the main European Tour, meaning that the local players are as closer as a wedge away from earning a tour card.
Although two of them - Dismas Indiza and Greg Snow - have made the top 20 or better before, none of the local players is yet to match Jacob Okello’s second-place finish in 1998 where he was beaten in a sudden-death play-off by Argentina’s Ricaldo Gonzalez after tying on 12 under par at Muthaiga Golf Club.
In 2001, Anil Shah, then at his best, and Indiza finished 10th while Snow made it to the top 10 and did even better in the Sunshine Tour’s Karen Masters. But that was in the Challenge Tour. Currently, the European Tour has the strongest players ever, particularly in this year’s Magical Kenya Open which has benefited from the cancellation of both the Volvo China Open and the Maybank Championship in Malaysia.
It is tough field made up of experienced players who play competitively every week. The Kenya Open Golf Limited-owned Safari Tour has helped players from Kenya and other African countries in a way, but a lot more needs to be done to expose them to high level competitions.
Indiza has managed to make the cut many times in the Open and tied in 10th place in 2008. On that occasion, he had spent some time playing in the Sunshine Tour which is as competitive as the Challenge Tour, courtesy of a good sponsorship from Mumias Sugar. Snow had played in many events outside Kenya, including the Mena Tour in the Middle East.
The two, alongside Justus Madoya, Simon Ngige, Erick Ooko, John Wangai, Riz Charania and David Wakhu will carry Kenya’s hopes. Indiza and Snow are currently enjoying good support from Johnnie Walker, a sponsorship which has somehow reduced their financial burden.
Johnnie Walker could do them even a greater service by pushing them into tours like the Sunshine to enable them polish up even better for the future Magical Kenya Open, and other international events.
The Absa Group has also adopted a group of players out of who John Wangai, Erick Ooko, Riz Charania, Simon Ngige, Justus Madoya and David Wakhu qualified for the Open. The Karen Country Club course, to be played as par 71, will not be an easy one, but it is still in great condition to produce interesting scores for those who manage it well.
The fairways have been narrowed and the greens unless it rains during the weekend, are likely to be just as hard and tricky. Generally, it will require more than patience and how one manages his game.
