# Kenya Open

The Kenya Open, currently titled as the Magical Kenya Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament in Kenya founded in 1967.

## History

The Kenya Open was an associate event on the Far East Circuit in 1967 and 1968, after which it became a cornerstone of the emerging Safari Circuit – a collection of tournaments initially in Kenya and Zambia, and then later in Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe. The European Tour, who had taken over running of the Safari Tour in the late 1970s, began to expand globally through the 1980s and those events formally became part of the second tier Challenge Tour in 1991. With the exception of the 1994 event, the Kenya Open remained on the Challenge Tour schedule until 2019 when it was elevated to the elite European Tour schedule.
In 2019, the tournament became a European Tour event and was played in mid-March during the same week as The Players Championship on the PGA Tour.
The tournament has always been held near Nairobi, either at Muthaiga Golf Club (1967, 1969–2002, 2009–2012, 2017–2018, 2022–2023) or at Karen Country Club (1968, 2004–2008, 2013–2016, 2019, 2021).
The title has been won by some of Europe's Ryder Cup golfers, including Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam, Ken Brown, Edoardo Molinari and Christy O'Connor Jnr, as well as future Masters champion Trevor Immelman. The most successful player is Maurice Bembridge, who recorded three victories between 1968 and 1979.

## Winners

| Year | Tour | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Venue |
| Magical Kenya Open |||||||||
| 2025 | EUR | Jacques Kruyswijk | 266 | −18 | 2 strokes | John Parry | Muthaiga |
| 2024 | EUR | Darius van Driel | 270 | −14 | 2 strokes | Joe Dean Nacho Elvira | Muthaiga |
| 2023 | EUR | Jorge Campillo | 266 | −18 | 2 strokes | Masahiro Kawamura | Muthaiga |
| 2022 | EUR | Wu Ashun | 268 | −16 | 4 strokes | Aaron Cockerill Thriston Lawrence Hurly Long | Muthaiga |
| 2021 | EUR | Justin Harding | 263 | −21 | 2 strokes | Kurt Kitayama | Karen |
| 2020 | EUR | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2019 | EUR | Guido Migliozzi | 268 | −16 | 1 stroke | Adri Arnaus Louis de Jager Justin Harding | Karen |
| Barclays Kenya Open |||||||||
| 2018 | CHA | Lorenzo Gagli | 273 | −11 | Playoff | Jens Fahrbring | Muthaiga |
| 2017 | CHA | Aaron Rai | 267 | −17 | 3 strokes | Adrien Saddier | Muthaiga |
| 2016 | CHA | Sebastian Söderberg | 270 | −18 | 3 strokes | Romain Langasque | Karen |
| 2015 | CHA | Haydn Porteous | 271 | −17 | Playoff | Brandon Stone | Karen |
| 2014 | CHA | Jake Roos | 278 | −10 | 1 stroke | Adrien Bernadet Lasse Jensen Pedro Oriol | Karen |
| 2013 | CHA | Jordi García Pinto | 272 | −12 | 1 stroke | Tim Sluiter | Karen |
| 2012 | CHA | Seve Benson | 274 | −10 | Playoff | Lasse Jensen | Muthaiga |
| 2011 | CHA | Michiel Bothma | 270 | −14 | 2 strokes | Tyrone Ferreira | Muthaiga |
| Kenya Open |||||||||
| 2010 | CHA | Robert Dinwiddie | 272 | −12 | 3 strokes | Julio Zapata | Muthaiga |
| Tusker Kenya Open |||||||||
| 2009 | CHA | Gary Boyd | 271 | −13 | 4 strokes | Andrew Butterfield Philip Golding | Muthaiga |
| 2008 | CHA | Iain Pyman | 272 | −12 | 3 strokes | Thomas Feyrsinger | Karen |
| 2007 | CHA | Edoardo Molinari | 274 | −6 | 1 stroke | James Kamte | Karen |
| 2006 | CHA | Johan Axgren | 270 | −10 | 4 strokes | James Hepworth Gary Lockerbie | Karen |
| 2005 | CHA | Daniel Vancsik | 272 | −8 | 3 strokes | Michael Kirk | Karen |
| Kenya Open |||||||||
| 2004 | CHA | Marc Cayeux | 270 | −10 | Playoff | Leif Westerberg | Karen |
| 2003: No tournament |||||||||
| Sameer Kenya Open |||||||||
| 2002 | CHA | Lee S. James | 265 | −19 | 3 strokes | Titch Moore | Muthaiga |
| Tusker Kenya Open |||||||||
| 2001 | CHA | Ashley Roestoff | 271 | −13 | Playoff | Andrew Sherborne | Muthaiga |
| 2000 | CHA | Trevor Immelman | 270 | −14 | 4 strokes | Henrik Stenson | Muthaiga |
| 1999 | CHA | Maarten Lafeber | 265 | −19 | 3 strokes | Erik Andersson | Muthaiga |
| 1998 | CHA | Ricardo González | 272 | −12 | Playoff | Jacob Okello | Muthaiga |
| Lonrho Kenya Open |||||||||
| 1997 | CHA | Jorge Berendt | 268 | −16 | 4 strokes | Sammy Daniels | Muthaiga |
| Kenya Open |||||||||
| 1996 | CHA | Mike Miller | 272 | −12 | Playoff | Phil Harrison Robert Lee | Muthaiga |
| 1995 | CHA | James Lee | 265 | −19 | 5 strokes | Thomas Bjørn Chris Williams | Muthaiga |
| 1994 | | Paul Carman | 276 | −8 | Playoff | Glenn Ralph | Muthaiga |
| 1993 | CHA | Craig Maltman | 276 | −8 | Playoff | Peter Harrison Daniel Westermark | Muthaiga |
| Standard Chartered Kenya Open |||||||||
| 1992 | CHA | André Bossert | 272 | −12 | 1 stroke | Craig Maltman | Muthaiga |
| 1991 | CHA | Jeremy Robinson | 269 | −15 | 5 strokes | Paul Affleck Philip Golding Sandy Stephen | Muthaiga |
| 555 Kenya Open |||||||||
| 1990 | SAF | Christy O'Connor Jnr | 271 | −13 | 2 strokes | Chris Platts | Muthaiga |
| 1989 | SAF | David Jones | 271 | −13 | 3 strokes | Mark Mouland | Muthaiga |
| 1988 | SAF | Chris Platts | 271 | −13 | 1 stroke | Mark Mouland | Muthaiga |
| 1987 | SAF | Carl Mason | 275 | −9 | Playoff | Gordon J. Brand Roger Chapman Martin Poxon | Muthaiga |
| 1986 | SAF | Ian Woosnam | 273 | −11 | Playoff | Bill Longmuir | Muthaiga |
| 1985 | SAF | Garry Harvey | 278 | −6 | 1 stroke | Brian Waites | Muthaiga |
| 1984 | SAF | José María Cañizares | 277 | −7 | Playoff | David J. Russell | Muthaiga |
| Benson & Hedges Kenya Open |||||||||
| 1983 | SAF | Ken Brown | 274 | −10 | 1 stroke | Jeff Hall | Muthaiga |
| 1982 | SAF | Eamonn Darcy | 274 | −10 | 1 stroke | David Jagger | Muthaiga |
| 1981 | SAF | Brian Barnes | 274 | −10 | 1 stroke | Bernard Gallacher Sandy Lyle | Muthaiga |
| 1980 | SAF | Brian Waites | 271 | −13 | 1 stroke | Bill Longmuir | Muthaiga |
| 1979 | SAF | Maurice Bembridge (3) | 271 | −13 | Playoff | Bernard Gallacher | Muthaiga |
| Kenya Open |||||||||
| 1978 | SAF | Seve Ballesteros | 274 | −10 | 1 stroke | Bernard Gallacher | Muthaiga |
| 1977 | SAF | Liam Higgins | 283 | −1 | 1 stroke | Gary Smith Bob Wynn | Muthaiga |
| 1976: No tournament due to economic problems | 1976: No tournament due to economic problems | 1976: No tournament due to economic problems | 1976: No tournament due to economic problems | 1976: No tournament due to economic problems | 1976: No tournament due to economic problems | 1976: No tournament due to economic problems | 1976: No tournament due to economic problems |
| 1975 | | Gary Smith | 276 | −12 | Playoff | Jack Newton | Muthaiga |
| 1974 | | David Jagger | 274 | −14 | 1 stroke | Malcolm Gregson | Muthaiga |
| 1973 | | Jan Dorrestein (2) | 276 | −12 | 1 stroke | David Jagger | Muthaiga |
| 1972 | | David Llewellyn | 279 | −9 | 2 strokes | Peter Tupling | Muthaiga |
| 1971 | | Ernie Jones | 283 | −5 | Playoff | Russell Meek | Muthaiga |
| 1970 | | Jan Dorrestein | 273 | −15 | 14 strokes | Malcolm Gregson Ronnie Shade Bob Tuohy | Muthaiga |
| 1969 | | Maurice Bembridge (2) | 279 | −9 | 5 strokes | Bernard Gallacher Simon Hobday (a) | Muthaiga |
| 1968 | AGC | Maurice Bembridge | 289 | +1 | 2 strokes | Terry Westbrook | Karen |
| 1967 | FEC | Guy Wolstenholme | 279 | −9 | 4 strokes | Peter Thomson | Muthaiga |