Spanish golfer Angel Ayora on Saturday defied overnight rains and fired six under par 64 in the third round of the Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship, joining South Africa’s Casey Jarvis at the top of the leaderboard at the par 70 Karen Country Club course.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s only surviving player in the tournament, Njoroge Kubugu, scored four over par 74 in yesterday’s third round, to drop to the bottom of the leaderboard with one under par 209.
Njoroge Kibugu lines a putt at hole 18 during the Magical Kenya Golf Open Championships at Karen Country Club on February 21,2026.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
The 21-year-old Ayora from Malaga in Spain, who turned professional in 2023, is now the joint leader with South Africa’s Jarvis on 17 under par total of 193.
Ayora picked up birdies at the second, seventh, 10th, 11th, 12th and at the 18th hole to catch up with Jarvis, who posted four under par 66.
“Well, today I had a nice round of golf, it was bogey-free, and that’s an amazing feeling. I'm playing very well at the moment, and I hope I can repeat today’s performance here tomorrow,” the Spaniard observed.
“I don't think it’s a conservative course – if you have to put the ball in a place, you have to do it so it is what it is. I think the most important thing on this course is to be good from the second shot to the green, as well as in putting. And I think if you have opportunities to make it, you’ve got to take them. We changed the strategy a little bit because the fairways were softer and the greens also. On the first hole, I hit a full shot with my 56 (degree wedge), and I got like seven,’’ he observed.
On the other hand, Jarvis, who has been a very steady player in the tournament, picked up three birdies at the front nine, then started the back nine with a bogey at the 10th hole, though he recovered with a birdie at the 17th to keep alive hope of a first victory in Kenya.
“I think I played pretty solid, played the front nine really nicely, just didn't make as many putts as I would have liked. I was a bit shaky in the 10th hole, but I brought it back nicely. I kind of knew what the other guys were doing. There was a leaderboard on, I think, the eighth hole, and I kind of saw that they were all playing pretty nicely. I wasn't thinking of it much, though, I just stuck to my game plan. We’re both TaylorMade boys, so it’s lovely to see that he’s up there as well. He's a fantastic player and I think tomorrow we’ll both hopefully push each other and we'll see what happens,’’ Jarvis said.
Today’s final round promises some fireworks as two other players, Davis Bryant of the United States of America, and South Africa’s HennieDu Plessis, were breathing down their necks with six under par 194, just a shot adrift of the joint leaders.
Davis collected a total of seven birdies and a bogey at the 15th hole for the day’s total of 64. Du Plessis, a regular player in the tour, carded five under par 65 in the third round, in which he fired five birdies at the opening nine and three at the back nine, including at the closing hole.
It was not a good day for Njoroge Kibugu, who still attracted the largest crowd, as he played a birdie-less front nine that included four bogeys, despite making an effort at the back nine. He managed one birdie at the 18th that gave him four over par 74, and he dropped to the bottom of the leaderboard with one under par 209.
Kibugu blamed poor putting for the day’s performance. However, he still has a chance of improving in today’s final round. The winner of the tournament will walk away with Sh60 million.
