By David Ndolo
Kenya’s sole player in the money bracket Njoroge Kibugu tied for 61st position as the 2026 edition of the Magical Kenya Open presented by ABSA culminated at the Karen Country Club in Nairobi.
Njoroge fired a remarkable score of five under on Sunday to settle for joint 61st.
On Friday, Njoroge had delighted the home crowd by making the cut with an eagle at Friday’s 18th hole.
A four-under-par 66 in the first round laid the platform and when he birdied the seventh on Friday, the 22-year-old was five under and nicely inside the cut line.
South Africa’s Casey Jarvis emerged victorious with a remarkable -8 on the fourth and last day, winning the fabled Kenyan round of the DP World Tour with a remarkable total score of -25.
Davis Bryant of the United States followed closely, scoring -6 on the 18th hole and finishing with a total of -22. Hennie Du Plessis, another South African golfer, took third place with a score of -21
The four day event saw intense competition, with top players like Angel Ayora, Francesco Laporta, and Nathan Kimsey vying for the top spot.
Jarvis has led the MKO from the opening round on Thursday to the last round on Sunday and his win in Kenya marks a significant milestone in his golfing career, and his consistency throughout the tournament earned him the top prize .
He had shared the lead after each of the first three rounds, held off playing partner Davis Bryant in a final round twice interrupted by stormy conditions in Nairobi.
Jarvis ‘ ‘I wanted to win for my father’
Jarvis had six birdies and rounded off his round of 62 with a second eagle of the day to win by three strokes.
“It’s amazing, I’ve actually never won in front of my dad before, I’ve wanted to win in front of him so badly, and to finally do it when he’s here, I can’t explain to you the emotions,” the 22-year-old said afterwards.
“I was so nervous coming down the last two so yeah, it feels great.
“There’s not many words that can describe the feeling, I also wish my mum was here but she’s back home in the UK. But it’s unbelievable, he’s been with me through the ups, through the downs.
“I know this moment doesn’t happen often so we’re going to celebrate it properly tonight.”
Jarvis began with three birdies and a bogey in his first four holes to reach 19 under par, still one clear of compatriot Hennie Du Plessis.
Another gain came at the sixth, with Bryant pouring in three in a row from the fifth to stay on his tail as Jarvis reached the turn one ahead.
Du Plessis – after a double bogey at the seventh and birdie at the eighth – and Laporta each made two birdies early in the back nine.
Bryant coolly slotted his birdie at the 11th but Jarvis brilliantly eagled the 12th, perfectly judging his putt up the steep slope in front of the green to move two up with six to play, moments before the hooter went to bring the players in as thunder rolled.
He extended his lead with a birdie on the resumption and holed a testing par putt at the next.
Laporta’s par putt at the 15th somehow refused to drop and Bryant was forced to clip out of a bush at the same hole, though an excellent recovery saved par while Jarvis dropped a shot to cut the gap to two.
The American was back within one after a birdie at the next and another stoppage arrived with the leading pair having teed off on the 17th. Du Plessis and Jacob Skov Olesen just had time to birdie the 17th and 18th respectively to join Laporta on 19 under.
Jarvis took dead aim at the 17th flag as play resumed again with Bryant, from the rough, finding a greenside bunker. Jarvis’ successful birdie putt gave him a two-shot lead going down the last.
Du Plessis went within a foot of an albatross up ahead, the resultant tap-in eagle taking him to 21 under after a 65. Laporta and Kimsey made birdies to finish 20 and 19 under respectively.
But that cleared the stage for Jarvis, who found the fairway and then the green in exemplary fashion before rolling in a 15-foot eagle putt to round off a momentous week in style.
Bryant’s birdie left him second outright ahead of Du Plessis and then Laporta. Jacob Skov Olesen’s 65 left him 19 under along with Kimsey, whose fellow Englishman Matthew Jordan shot 62 to vault up to seventh.
Defending champion Jacques Kruyswijk followed three straight 67s with a 65 to finish 14 under and securely in the top 20.
2026 Magical Kenya Open: Final Leaderboard
| Pos | Player | Country | Total Score | To Par |
| 1 | Casey Jarvis | UK | 255 | -25 |
| 2 | Davis Bryant | USA | 258 | -22 |
| 3 | Hennie Du Plessis | RSA | 259 | -21 |
| 4 | Francesco Laporta | ITA | 260 | -20 |
| T5 | Jacob Skov Olesen | DEN | 261 | -19 |
| T5 | Nathan Kimsey | UK | 261 | -19 |
| T61 | Njoroge Kibugu | KEN | 274 | -6 |
