Kenyans miss the cut at Magical Kenya Open

For the first time since the introduction of DP World Tour (European Tour) status in Kenya in 2019, no local player will proceed to the last two rounds of the Magical Kenya Open Championship.

This means none of the 13 Kenyans who entered the competition at Muthaiga Golf Club will share the Sh377 million prize money.

‘Road To Kenya Open’ Order of Merit winner Dismas Indiza, Greg Snow and Kibugu siblings (Mutahi and Njoroge) were the notable Kenyans who missed the cut Friday as the DP World Tour leg entered the midway point.

Following tough afternoon course conditions, the cut line settled in at level par for the tournament, resulting in the removal of half the field following Round Two action.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for the 13 Kenyans (nine pros and four amateurs) who entered the event.

Kenya Amateur Golf Champion Michael Karanga explained his exit despite carding level par for the day.

“I played good golf today (Friday). I made six buddies, but, unfortunately, I dropped six shots. I ended up playing level par which wasn’t a bad score but not good enough considering that I had played a +4 on day One. It’s one of those days, now I have to focus on my next tournament in Florida in April,” said Karanga.

Indiza was left to rue three successive bogeys on holes 6,7 and 8, saying: “I am not happy with the general score but I believe I played well. That first bogey on the Par-4 sixth was painful at a time when I had started making a good comeback.”

Njoroge believes the course favoured those who strived to align the ball on the fairways and the greens, two secrets he admitted he failed to adhere to.

“My putts were not good in the front nine,” stated Njoroge, who was the only Kenyan to make the cut in 2022.

His brother Mutahi, the only local to advance to the money bracket last year, blamed lack of support from the private sector and lack of

international exposure as the main cause of their dismal performance this season.

“I think corporations are not doing enough to promote local golfers. There is too much local talent that can do better at the MKO,” Mutahi said.

Jastas Madoya and Simon Ngige made the cut in 2019 when the event was elevated from Challenge Tour to European Tour. In 2021 Samuel Njoroge was the sole Kenyan in the money bracket.

Madoya said he tried to stick to his plan but the heat on the course was just too much.

“Even my plan of working on my second nine score did not materialise, I also had tough times tackling hole 10, I made silly mistakes there,” he said.

“Overall, the course was relatively good but too windy, the fairways agreed to my chippings which was the only thing I enjoyed the most.”