Three amateur slots to Kenya Open up for grabs

With the Magical Kenya Open set for 2 to 6 March 2022, three amateur golfer ate set to win themselves a ticket to the European Tour event, joining three who have already bagged their ticket to the extravaganza. 

The three will include two junior golfers drawn from the junior golf foundation while one amateur will land a wild card to the Open, bringing the number to six who will battle with the big boys at the Open. 

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Three amateur tickets have already been awarded to Matchplay winner John Lejirma his Strokeplay title holder Adel Balala while the third ticket went to Michael Karanga. 

Despite Balala winning the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) earlier this month, Karanga, who finished in second place, ahead of Lejirma landed the slot seeing as the winner had already earned his place in the five-day global competition. 

" The holders of the three tickets will be announced in due course. Junior Golf Foundation usually sends us two names from their order of merit with the third ticket awarded as a wild card," explained Kenya Golf Union CEO who is also the Kenya Open Golf Limited's General Manager Vincent Wang'ombe.

The Magical Kenya Open as a European Tour event will be held at the 'home of golf' Muthaiga from 3rd, and is expected to be preceded by a pro-am event on 2nd. 

The Open has a history dating back to 1967 and appeared on the European Tour’s schedule for the first time in 2019, having previously taken its place on the Challenge Tour schedule since 1991.

Muthaiga has hosted on 40 previous occasions, including the tournament’s very first edition. The 2022 edition will mark the first time the European Tour has visited Muthaiga Golf Club after Karen Country Club hosted the Race to Dubai event in 2019 and 2021. 

Justin Harding claimed the 2021 Magical Kenya Open title courtesy of a two-stroke triumph over American Kurt Kitayama, with the South African winning for the second time on the European Tour and eighth time overall on the African continent, having seven Sunshine Tour victories already to his name.

European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley, while speaking to the European Tour said that organisers were thrilled to be returning to Nairobi for the Open in 2022, and to be visiting Muthaiga Golf Club for the first time since the event was elevated to European Tour status in 2019.

“Muthaiga has a long and storied history and has hosted Kenya’s national open on more occasions than any other venue, so it will undoubtedly be a worthy host venue for the stars of the European Tour.

We enjoy a strong relationship with promoters Kenya Open Golf Limited and we look forward to working with them once again, while we are grateful to Magical Kenya and the Kenyan Government for their continued support," Pelley offered.