Swedish professional Niklas Lemke closed round one of the 2026 Magical Kenya Open with an eagle at the par-five 18th hole, finishing with an impressive eight-under 62 to share the lead with South Africa’s Casey Jarvis at the par-70 Karen Country Club on Thursday.
Lemke, who earned his European Tour card for 2019 with a sixth-place finish at Qualifying School’s final stage, had rolled in six birdies before his closing-hole eagle. Two of these came on the front nine and four on the back nine.
Lemke had enjoyed an early lead before the South African arrived with his bogey-free 62, which included a total of 10 birdies — six of which came on the opening nine.
“I think I’ve shot eight under before, but not a 62, so I’m pleased with that. It was a nice way to finish. I played fairly solidly the whole day. I like these kinds of golf courses; they are a little short,” the Swede said during the event.
On the other hand, 22-year-old Kenyan Njoroge Kibugu showed steady improvement on the back nine. After a single birdie on the front, Kibugu rolled in four more—including one on the 18th—to finish with a four-under-par 66. This performance tied him for 16th and kept Kenya’s hopes alive in the tournament’s 57th anniversary year.
“I got out of the gate hot and gave myself chances. It could have been better, but it could have been worse, too. I am happy with the result,” Kibugu told journalists after his first round.
Njoroge Kibugu of Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club follows the progress of his shot from 18th hole fairway during the Magical Kenya Open Golf tournament at Karen Golf and Country Club on February 19, 2026.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
But back at the top of the leaderboard, Scotland’s David Law produced a seven-under-par 63 to share second place with Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat. The Thai also carded a 63 in the opening round, which attracted a small crowd.
Kiradech made his 63 with eight birdies, while Law also fired eight birdies to move to the top.
Among past winners, South Africa’s Justin Harding and Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg shot a best-of-the-day four-under 66, to join Kenya’s Kibugu in an 18-player tie.
Home player Edwin Mudanyi carded a level-par 70, while Mutahi Kibugu finished with a one-over-par 71, tying with Kenya’s leading amateur John Lejirmah and pro Jastas Madoya.
Mutahi Kibugu of Nyeri Golf Club follows the progress of his tee shot from 16th tee box during the Magical Kenya Open Golf Pro-Am tournament at Karen Golf and Country Club on February 18, 2026.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
However, Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera finished with a score of one under par, putting him in the red. But it’s not over yet for the rest, as they can still climb to the top in what looks set to be a low-scoring week, given the number of players who shot under par.
A total of 84 players out of the field of 144 fired one-under-par or better, a very impressive opening round.
Meanwhile, the team of Kenya Open Golf Limited and the Kenya Golf Union, partnered by South African pro Zander and Frenchman Romain Langasque, topped the leaderboard in the afternoon session of the 2026 Kenya Open Pro-Am at Karen Country Club on Wednesday.
The combined efforts of the two professionals and the amateurs Collins Ojiambo, Patrick Wanjau, and Brian Akun, who is the vice chairman of the Kenya Golf Union (KGU), produced an impressive score of 40 under par, beating the Kenya Ladies Golf Union team of Rosemary Mkok, Patricia Wangong’u, and Rita Waruinge, who were playing with professionals Alex Fitzpatrick and Casey Jarvis.
They posted a total of 37 under par, while the ABSA team of professionals Richard Sterne and Mikael Lundberg, and amateurs Josephine Njoroge, Duncan Sifunah and Steve Gitau, finished third on 30 under par.
Oldest of local professionals
A total of 88 professionals took part in the Pro-Am: 44 in the morning session and a similar number in the afternoon.
During the afternoon session, the Kenya Golf Federation team of professionals, Adrian Otaegui and Ángel Ayora, who were supporting the amateur team of Janealice Mutuota, Caleb Cositany and Eric Nyongesa, carded a total of 41 under par to win by a large margin.
The government team of professionals, Stefano Mazzoli and Ewen Ferguson, who were supporting the amateur team of Carol Karanja, Kate Murima and David Onyoka, produced a score of 35 under par.
This year, the professionals accompanied the amateur teams for only nine holes, with the first pro taking the team from the first to the ninth hole and the second pro taking them from the tenth to the eighteenth.
At least this format saw more professionals playing in the Pro-Am, as each sponsor entered one or more teams. However, the professionals only played nine holes, as they were not earning money, unlike in previous years when a special purse was set aside for them.
While half of the visiting players in the field of 144 will be participating in this year’s Magical Kenya Open for the first time, the 12 local professionals and some of the amateurs are regular participants in the event, which is celebrating its 57th anniversary this year.
Sophie Newlove, the Tournament Office Manager from the DP World Tour, says that there are always newcomers to the tour because every year, players graduate from the PGA Tour School and qualify from the European Challenge Tour.
“At the end of every year, 20 players earn DP World Tour cards by qualifying from the Challenge Tour, while a similar number graduates from the PGA Tour School. There are also special invitees to the event,” said Newlove, who is visiting Kenya for the first time.
All 12 of the local pros currently listed to play in 2026 event have played in the Open several times. Dismas Indiza, who is based in Kakamega, has participated in the Open for the longest time, having first played in 1996.
“Since I started playing in the Open, I have only missed once, when I was involved in a road accident 15 years ago,” said Indiza, who, at 57 years old, is also the oldest of the local professionals.
Kenyan professional golfer Dismas Indiza reacts before tee off during the Magical Kenya Open Golf Pro-Am tournament at Karen Golf and Country Club in Nairobi on February 18, 2026.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Another Kenyan player who has participated in the Open for some time is Snow, who first played in the Open in 2005 as a junior. Snow is the second most experienced player and, in 2014, he tied for seventh place with Indiza when the Open was staged at Karen Country Club.
Snow turned professional in 2010 and, besides his many appearances in the Open, has played in a number of events in different countries, including the USA, India and the Middle East, where he featured several times in the Meena Tour.
Meanwhile, Mutahi Kibugu, the elder brother of Njoroge Kibugu, has been competing in the event since 2019 and made the cut in 2023, following his brother Njoroge’s success in 2022. Notably, Mutahi is an amateur who is 18 years younger than his brother.
Of the six amateurs, Junaid Manji and Shashwant Harris are the only juniors; the others, namely John Lejirmah, Michael Karanga, Jay Sandhu and Daniel Kiragu, have played in the Open several times.
