Kenyan pros start journey towards 2026 Magical Kenya Open

Kenyan professional golfers failed to make adequate preparations ahead of the 2025 Magical Kenya Open (MKO) that was held at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi in March.

This was evident when none of the 13 pros made the cut on the second day of the global championship.

This prompted the players and golf experts to put across recommendations that could help Kenya perform well in the competition in future, starting with the 2026 MKO.

Among the suggestions put across included private sector involvement, establishing of a Qualifying School where the pros can punch tickets towards prestigious championships like South Africa's Sunshine Tour and setting up local tour series events to keep the players busy.

On Tuesday, March 25, IMG Kenya Limited came forward to sponsor the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) Classic tournament that teed off at the Kenya Railway Golf Club in Nairobi on the day.

The sports agency injected Sh200,000 into the competition while calling upon other like-minded organizations to follow suit as part of the private sector support to the Kenyan golfers.

"The sponsorship is part of our efforts to support the growth and development of professional golf in Kenya and follows a similar cash sponsorship to the professional golfers' body in January this year ahead of their members' participation at the 2025 Magical Kenya Open," IMG Kenya Limited CEO, Peter Gacheru said.

"We are on a journey with the PGK to sustainably grow the profile of professional golf in Kenya by ensuring our pro golfers are actively taking part in competitive tournaments that will enhance their skills and subsequently raise the quality of the game.

"Our small contribution, which follows similar support to the PGK in January this year, is just the start of our long-term strategic objective to support the growth of pro golf in Kenya.

"We are committed to supporting the efforts of our pros in their quest to becoming regional and global golf stars and look forward to more collaborative efforts with them as they work towards achieving this goal," he added.

The PGK Chairman, John Wangai said:

"We are grateful for this support, we also welcome other organisations to sponsor our events so we can be busy all through the year. The PGK organizes these events to keep the pros competitive and to help them prepare for regional and global tournaments."

The Railway leg of the PGK Classic, which teed off at 7:30 am on this morning, brought together 28 pro golfers for a one-round competition to keep the pro golfers competitive.

The event had a total prize purse of Sh 400,000 with the overall winner banking Sh 72,000 - being 18 percent of the purse.

Amongst the golfers who battled for glory included Njoroge Kibugu, Greg Snow, Dismas Indiza, C.J. Wangai, Nelson Mundayi, David Wakhu, Erick Ooko, Samuel Njoroge, Jastas Madoya, and Mutahi Kibugu.

The Railway leg of the PGK classic is the first local pro tournament following the 2025 MKO where the top Kenyan player was Windsor's Riz Charania who finished in a tie for 93rd place.

Local players ranking in the 2025 Magical Kenya Open

1. Riz Charania +3
2. Shahswat Harish +4
3. John Lejirma +4
4. Greg Snow +5
5. Edwin Mudanyi +5
6. Njoroge Kibugu +5
7. Dismas Indiza +6
8. Mutahi Kibugu +8
9. Adeol Balala +8
10. Erick Ooko +9
11. Simon Njogu +10
12. David Wakhu +10
13. Samuel Njoroge +11
14. Michael Karanga +11
15. Daniel Nduva +14
16. Mohit Mediratta +14
17. William Odek +22
18. Alfred Nandwa DNF