Wu Ashun is hoping to draw on fond memories from last year as he aims to continue his strong start to the 2023 DP World Tour season when he defends his Magical Kenya Open Presented by Absa title this week.
The Chinese made history at Muthaiga Golf Club 12 months ago by firing a closing 65 to become the first Asian golfer to win the event and clinch his fourth DP World Tour title in front of his wife and new-born daughter.
Wu has made the weekend in six of his seven appearances on this season’s Race to Dubai, with his best result so far coming on African soil at the Investec South African Open Championship in December – finishing in a share of ninth.
“I’m very happy to come back to play the tournament here,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to playing the same as last year. The course is fantastic and the people are nice, the weather is good too. Hopefully we’ll have a good week.
“We played very good last year. The whole year we were pretty solid and this year we have started strong too. My game is good. I have many experiences with this golf course.”
The 37-year-old began the year with back-to-back top 20s at the opening two Rolex Series events of the season in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and he credits much of his good play to the fitness and strength work he has put in.
“We spend a lot of time in the gym with my physio doing a lot with my body, so I’ve got to recover,” he said.
“We have a schedule for how we rest, practise and work. It’s working, so my game is great.
“During a tournament week we do two or max three sessions a week, each would be 20-30 minutes. Yesterday afternoon we did 30 minutes, that keeps my body strong.”
Kenya’s national open is celebrating its 54th edition this week and fourth since it became a DP World Tour event.
Wu won last year with a total of 16 under par and knows his game off the tee will need to be at its best if he is to become the first player to successfully defend this title at Muthaiga.
“The course is firmer and it’s windy too,” he said.
“Tee shots are the most important here, if you can hit it on the fairway you have a good chance to make birdie, but if you miss you can easily find trouble.”
Last year, Ewen Ferguson started the final round with a four-shot advantage and despite missing out that day, he believes that week proved influential in him going on to claim two DP World Tour titles later in the season.
The Scotsman claimed his maiden Tour title in Qatar three weeks later, before adding another in wire-to-wire fashion in Northern Ireland and finished second a month later in Denmark.
“I watched it back straight away,” the 2021 Challenge Tour graduate said. “I couldn’t wait to watch it back and see it all.
“I like watching golf in general. I’m a golf fan myself. I’m always into it, watching it. I wanted to see how Ashun played and what he did. I was a massive learning curve and I took a lot from it.”
The 26-year-old, who began 2023 by representing Great Britain and Ireland in the inaugural Hero Cup, might not have hit the same heights as last year so far this season but he is looking forward to the opportunity ahead of him.
“It should be easier for me to keep it in context on the course. But chilling at dinner I’m sometimes thinking ‘I’m not in contention’, it’s so hard,” he added.
“Look at Marcel Siem, he’d not won in eight years, it’s a tough gig. You think how many tournaments he’s played and after those wins you maybe think ‘I’ll keep winning’. You don’t just keep winning.
“You’ve got to put yourself in positions and you can’t help it if someone plays better than you. I’m just trying to be positive with all the small things, there’s a lot of good things going on in life.”
