Magical Kenya Open The European Tour travels to Kenya this week for the Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa, at the Karen Country Club in Nairobi. With many of the European Tour’s leading players in Florida this week for The Players Championship, the circuit’s lesser lights have a chance to shine. Although this is the event’s first time on the European Tour, the Kenya Open is an historic tournament. It was first contested back in 1967 and was won by Guy Wolstenholme. It was a fixture on the European Challenge Tour from 1991 until last season. Past winners of the event include: Seve Ballesteros, Brian Barnes, Ken Brown, Ian Woosnam and Trevor Immelman. This week, 15-time European Tour winner and 2018 Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn headlines the field, alongside rising stars Shubhankar Sharma and Renato Paratore. A strong home representation will also be at Karen CC plus a number of other African players who will be looking to score a victory. A former winner of this event, South Africa’s Haydn Porteous will be among the favourites. Internet sensation Ho-sung Choi will also tee it up as he brings his unorthodox swing to a European Tour event this week. The course at the Karen Country Club in Nairobi dates from 1937, a Remy Martin creation, but the layout was redesigned by David Jones in 2015 when all the greens were changed from Bermuda grass to Bentgrass. Player Watch
Justin Harding – Fresh off the back of victory in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, the South African will look to keep that run going in Nairobi. Currently 5th on the Race to Dubai standings, he’ll be heavily tipped to score back-to-back wins. George Coetzee – Another South African who will head into this event with confidence and clear form. He was tied second in Qatar last week.
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