Jacob Okello makes Kenya Open team

Arguably Kenya’s most accomplished golfer at the Kenya Open, Jacob Okello has made it to the list of local golfers that will do battle for a chance to lift the coveted Kenya Open title, now running as a European Tour event.

Okello was one of the lucky four golfers who have qualified for this year’s Magical Kenya Open after the slots were added from eight to 12. The other three are Mathew Omondi, Riz Charania and Edwin Inana. 

Okello has represented Kenya in over 20 editions of the Kenya Open, his last appearance being at the 2018 Kenya Open which was marking fifty years of running as a challenge tour. He is the only Kenyan who has come close to winning their home Open.

After finishing as Kenya’s best amateur in the 1996 edition, Okello went on to challenge for the title two years later. With droves of locals following the then 30-year-old around Muthaiga Golf Club, Okello did not disappoint and was in the driving seat with four holes of the tournament left to play.

A double-bogey at the par-three 15th did derail his challenge, though, with an errant tee shot finding the thick rough, leaving Okello relieved to be walking away with only a five on his card. Finishing on 12 under par, alongside Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez, Okello nearly held his nerve for what would have been the most famous of wins but he came unstuck at the third playoff hole, with a bogey at the par three 13th proving to be his undoing.

A second-place finish did guarantee Okello a full season on the Challenge Tour the following year, but after also competing on the Sunshine Tour that runner-up finish still remains the best of his career to date.

Okello, who has been the Ngong Racecourse manager since 2003, has gone to record superb results finishing in the top five in the Kenya Open in both 2006 and 2007.