The Magical Kenya Open celebrates its 54th edition this week at Muthaiga Golf Club and fourth since the tournament joined the DP World Tour schedule in 2019.
The event was first held in 1967 before it was staged on the Safari Circuit between 1977 and 1990, becoming part of the European Challenge Tour in 1991.
Over the years, it has been won by European golf greats Seve Ballesteros and Ian Woosnam, while in recent times it has provided a springboard for other players to enjoy further success on golf’s biggest stages.
Here, we reflect on three past champions who went on to Major Championship, Ryder Cup and Rolex Series glory.
Trevor Immelman (2000)
South African Trevor Immelman claimed his first professional title on his Challenge Tour debut at Kenya’s national open at Muthaiga GC in 2000.
Less than a year into his career in the professional ranks, the then 20-year-old shot a four-under-par 67 to claim a four-shot victory over Henrik Stenson in Nairobi.
A year earlier, he had finished 56th in his first Major appearance in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club after winning the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 1998.
The victory in the second event of the 2000 Challenge Tour campaign helped him graduate to the European Tour – now known as the DP World Tour – after finishing tenth on the season-long rankings.
Three DP World Tour titles followed, including back-to-back titles on home soil at the South African Open in 2003 and 2004, before the standout achievement of his career came in 2008.
Just months after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour, he became the first wire-to-wire winner of the Masters since Raymond Floyd in 1976 with a three-shot victory.
After posting three rounds in the 60s to hold a two-shot lead heading into the final day, Immelman carded a closing 75 to hold off the chasing pack, including runner-up Tiger Woods, and win his first and so far only Major title.
To this day, he remains the only former Challenge Tour member to have worn the Green Jacket.
Edoardo Molinari (2007)
Seven years later, Edoardo Molinari emulated Immelman by securing victory at the Kenya Open in his first season on the Challenge Tour as a professional.
The Italian, then 26, won the Club Colombia Masters on his first Challenge Tour appearance as a professional before securing a second title a month later at Karen Country Club.
He headed into the final round in Kenya with a three-shot lead but by the turn trailed by one to South African James Kamte.
Birdies at the 11th and 13th gave him a slender lead once again, before a brilliant recovery shot led to another at the 17th to establish a two-shot advantage as a par five on the final hole sealed a hard-fought victory.
Molinari’s fine early-season form saw him graduate to the DP World Tour through the Challenge Tour Rankings.
After struggling the following season, he returned to the Challenge Tour in 2009 and won three titles to finish top of the rankings.
Two DP World Tour victories in the space of back-to-back months in 2010 would earn him a pick from winning European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie as he memorably played alongside his brother Francesco later that year at Celtic Manor.
After a seven-year wait, Molinari – who will serve as a vice captain at the Ryder Cup later this year in Rome – returned to the winner’s circle after a play-off victory at the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco.
Aaron Rai (2017)
There was an emotional triumph on Kenyan soil for Englishman Aaron Rai as he won his first Challenge Tour title at this event in 2017.
In the opening event of the Challenge Tour campaign, Rai shot a closing six-under 65 to seal victory by three shots on Mother’s Day at Muthaiga.
The win was made even more special because his mum was born in Kenya and had not returned to her home country for more than 40 years until she attended the tournament.
Fellow future DP World Tour winners Matt Wallace and Adrian Meronk also finished in the top five on the leaderboard that day.
Of those three players, only Rai would go on to earn their DP World Tour card as he finished fourth on the Challenge Tour rankings after adding another title at the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge.
A first DP World Tour title in wire-to-wire fashion would follow in 2018 as he held off future Major winner Matt Fitzpatrick during a dramatic final round at the Hong Kong Open.
Rai would go on to claim a second DP World Tour victory and first Rolex Series title two years later as he defeated Tommy Fleetwood in a play-off to win the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.
He has since secured his PGA TOUR card in 2021 through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
