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Six former champions chase rare double at Kenya Open
South African professional golfer Jacques Kruyswijk follows his first tee shot during the Magical Kenya Open Golf Pro-Am tournament at Karen Golf and Country Club in Nairobi on February 18, 2026. Kruyswijk is the 2025 Magical Kenya Open champion.
What you need to know:
- Repeat victories have become rare due to the many new talents who emerge every year.
- Last year, Kruyswijk produced an impressive 18-under-par 266 to be crowned champion.
Defending champion Jacques Kruyswijk of South Africa is among six former winners who will be chasing glory at this year’s Magical Kenya Open at Karen Golf and Country Club from Thursday.
Kruyswijk, who won in 2025 at the par-71 Muthaiga Golf Club, will compete in the DP World Tour event against former champions Sebastian Soderberg (Sweden), Darius van Driel (the Netherlands), Jorge Campillo (Spain), Guido Migliozzi (Italy) and Justin Harding (South Africa).
Van Driel won in 2024, Campillo in 2023, Wu in 2022, Harding in 2021, Migliozzi in 2019 and Soderberg in 2016. Each of these top golfers will be seeking to achieve the rare double. The event has a field of 144 golfers from 30 countries. It has a prize fund of Sh348.3 million ($2.7 million). The winner will get Sh60 million.
South African professional golfer Jacques Kruyswijk follows his first tee shot during the Magical Kenya Open Golf Pro-Am tournament at Karen Golf and Country Club in Nairobi on February 18, 2026. Kruyswijk is the 2025 Magical Kenya Open champion.
The Kenya Open has been described as one of the most challenging events for achieving back-to-back victories. Repeat victories have become rare due to the many new talents who emerge every year from either the PGA European Tour School or the European Challenge Tour.
The only player to have achieved the feat was Britain’s Maurice Bembridge, who won at Karen Country Club in 1968 and defended his title at Muthaiga Golf Club the following year.
Bembridge returned in 1979 to complete his treble at Muthaiga Golf Club — a record that remains unbroken to this day.
Last year, Kruyswijk produced an impressive 18-under-par 266, made up of rounds of 69, 66, 64 and 67, to win by two shots, finishing ahead of England’s John Parry. Parry is not in the field this year. Kruyswijk has won 13 professional events.
Local professionals
Also in the race is Germany’s Freddy Schott, fresh from the Bahrain Championship, where he beat Patrick Reed of US and Callum Hill of Scotland in a three-way play-off after they tied on 17 under par. Hill, who is paired with Kruyswijk and another South African, Thriston Lawrence, is playing at Karen for the first time.
The field also includes France’s Romain Langasque, who first appeared at the Open in 2016 at Karen. As an amateur, Langasque achieved a course record score of 65, finishing second, three shots behind the winner, Soderberg. He has returned to Kenya several times since then, but has not repeated his 2016 form.
Several players are chasing their first victory, as well as a share of the $2.7 million prize fund and DP World Tour ranking points. Local players are expected to perform well after competing in over 16 events on both the PGK Equator Tour and the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing ahead of the Kenya Open.
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.
All 12 of the local professionals said they are ready for the challenge. There will be a special focus on 22-year-old Njoroge Kibugu, who earned a direct entry into the South Africa-based Sunshine Tour following his stellar performance during the Sunshine Development Tour.
Njoroge’s brother, Mutahi, will also be chasing glory. Mutahi made the cut at the 2023 Muthaiga event a year after his brother did so while playing as a junior amateur. He was 18 years old.
Mutahi said, “Playing in the Open without sponsorship is usually the biggest headache for local professionals. However, now that I have support from Safaricom, I will be able to focus.”
Kenyan professional golfer Njoroge Kibugu (right) with his caddie Bo Ciera at the 13th tee box during the Magical Kenya Open Golf Pro-Am tournament at Karen Golf and Country Club in Nairobi on February 18, 2026.
Safaricom, with a sponsorship of Sh10 million, is among corporates supporting the event.
In addition to the Kibugus, the Kenyan line-up includes Muthaiga’s Greg Snow, senior professional Dismas Indiza, home pro Edwin Mudanyi, Professional Golfers of Kenya chairman John Wangai and his brother Samuel Njoroge, as well as David Wakhu from Golf Park, who has been in excellent form recently.
John Lejirmah, of Royal Nairobi, will lead the hunt in the amateur category, with his main challengers likely to be Jay Sandhu of Muthaiga and juniors Junaid Manji and Shashwat Hariish. The first round will tee off at 7:10 am. Those playing in the afternoon are expected to start at 12 noon.
