• The South African had his fairy tale campaign effectively sewn up with an eagle at the par- ninth which made all the difference.
• Harding entered the final day at Karen Country Club with a two-shot lead and was never caught as he carded a bogey-free 66 to finish at 21 under
After several attempts, Justin Harding celebrated his maiden Magical Kenya Open title at the par 71 Karen County Club course.
After several attempts, Justin Harding celebrated his maiden Magical Kenya Open title at the par 71 Karen County Club course.
The South African had his fairy tale campaign effectively sewn up with an eagle at the par- ninth which made all the difference.
The exhilarating display of front-running enabled him to clinch a second European Tour victory.
Harding entered the final day at Karen Country Club with a two-shot lead and was never caught as he carded a bogey-free 66 to finish at 21 under, two shots clear of playing partner Kurt Kitayama of the United States.
Kitayama briefly cut Harding’s advantage to one as he carded two eagles in a 66 of his own, but the leader kept his cool as he earned a sixth worldwide victory in three years.
Scot Connor Syme carded a 64 to finish at 17 under, a shot clear of Spaniard Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez and two ahead of another South African, Jacques Kruyswijk and French duo Jean-Baptiste Gonnet and Romain Langasque.
Harding’s maiden European Tour victory in Qatar just over two years ago was his fifth in ten months, and a tie for second the following week in this event pushed him into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and earned him a debut in the Masters Tournament, where he finished in the top 15.
He had not had a top ten finish since September but he now moves into the top 15 on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex and edges closer to the top 100 in the world.
“It was hard work,” said an emotional Harding. “I was happy with the way I played. I’m glad I shot one better than a couple of years ago, I was bummed about that, but I’m just happy with the way I managed my game.
“I made a mess of 11 and 12 and ultimately the way I played 13 through 18 this week, it was a bit of a stressful time. I executed some shots and managed to make a couple of good par saves.”
Kitayama and Harding went head-to-head in the final group at the 2019 Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open at Anahita, and the 35-year-old was glad to come out on top after seeing Kitayama prevail on that occasion.
“Kurt’s an unbelievable competitor,” he said. “I got him back for Mauritius.”
Magical Kenya Open results
1. Justin Harding (RSA)(-5) -21
2. Kurt Kitayama (USA) (-5)-19
3. SYME, Connor (-7) -17
4. Rodriguez, Sebastian Garcia(-8) -16T
5.Jacques Kruyswijk (-7) -15T
5. Romain Langasque (-6) -15T
5. Jean-Baptiste (-4) -15T
8. Sam Horsfield (-6)-14T
8. Pep ANGLES(-5) -14T
8. Dean Burmester (-4) -14T
8. Calum Hill (-1)-14
77. Samuel Chege Njoroge (-1) PAR