Magical Kenya Open: Junior players inspired after battling world beaters in Karen

The 57^th edition of Magical Kenya Open (MKO), Presented by Absa, concluded at the par 70 Karen Country Club in Nairobi at the weekend with South Africa’s golf sensation Casey Jarvis winning the 2026 diadem and also making away with Sh60 million cash prize.

Kenya’s sole survivor in the high-profile showdown, Njoroge Kibugu finished 61^st overall which saw him awarded Sh 5 million by President William Ruto and a further Sh 2 million by Absa Bank Kenya who supported this year’s global showpiece to a tune of Sh 65 million.

While the pros minted the lucrative cash prizes that totaled Sh348 Million, junior and upcoming players were not left behind as they were offered priceless opportunity to meet, interact and play against world beaters in the Absa ‘Beat the Pro’ Challenge staged at the par-3 7^th.

The contest gave the 20 fired up juniors a chance to walk away with a fully funded Absa Junior Account worth Sh 50, 000, reinforcing the banks focus on early financial inclusion and talent development on athletes.

Unlike last year in Muthaiga when the trio of Mitansh Thacker (Sigona), Kevin Anyien (Golf Park) and Kanana Muthomi (Windsor) rose to the occasion to wrestle the pros in their batches to each walk away with the mouthwatering prize, this year’s contest proved an uphill task for the 20 contestants, with none winning the money.

Despite not winning the prizes, the juniors admitted the occasion gave them exposure and priceless experience that they will forever cherish in their lives.

Only players between the ages of 12 and 18 and of handicap below 9.0 were allowed to register for the Karen contest, with whoever lands the ball closer to the pin in their batch walking away with the coveted prize.

“It was a very nice experience, enjoyable. From the pros, I learnt how to stay focused before unleashing a shot. They also taught me how to be an emotionally balanced player,” 13-year-old Muthoni Kioi of Aga Khan Academy in Nairobi told Standard Sports.

Playing off handicap 6.1, home girl Kioi confidently marched to the par-3 7^th, where she took on professional players Angel Hidalgo (Spain), James Morrison (England) and Mike Toorop (Netherlands) head-on in her attempt to land the ball nearest to the pin to win the fully funded account.

“Well, I tried my best, but I failed to beat them. They offered me tips and encouragement. They also gave me their golf balls as souvenirs,” noted Kioi, whose dream is to play in the Ladies European Tour someday.

“I’m grateful that I got the experience. To other players who are dreaming to brush shoulders with the international pros, I would like to tell them to commit themselves to the sport, be focused, and they will definitely meet champions like these as they progress in the game.

“I would also like to thank the sponsors for giving me a rare opportunity to play and brush shoulders with the pros. It was eye-opening. It gave me a priceless exposure. It’s not every day that you get a sponsor who supports 20 juniors to contest alongside international players,” Kioi noted.

While hailing the 20 youngsters who put their lives on the line to challenge the pros in the challenge, Abas Bank Kenya Head of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Charles Wokabi noted: “We are very proud of Njoroge for his exceptional performance in this year’s MKO where he was the only one, out of 18 Kenyan players who participated in the event, who made the cut.

“We are happy to stand behind him as a country, to celebrate this success. We have also decided to honour him with Sh 2 million because as Absa, we say, we understand the story behind every human being, and for Njoroge, it is a story of inspiration not only for the current but also for the future generation. We applaud him for the good job done at the MKO.

“Njoroge’s inspiration is one of the reasons we conduct the ‘Beat the Pro’ Challenge at the MKO, so as to develop the right talents and build a pipeline that would one day help Kenya win the MKO trophy in the future.

Wokabi noted that the challenge against the pros on the pitch has begun to inspire juniors who have an interest in golf at heart.

“From the contest we had in Karen, the juniors have started to understand what happens in golf at a professional level, who the pros are and how pros play to challenge for a title.

“We are happy that last year, three players were able to win the prizes, but this season none met the target, even though the objective of the challenge, which was to help the juniors see themselves in the eyes of the pros, to be inspired into future champions, was met 100 per cent,” Wokabi highlighted.

Wokabi further added: “We are glad that corporates like Safaricom have started to come on board, this is going to help the challenge become bigger and better in the future MKOs.”

Handicap 6.0 Jemile Gacheru, a Form 3 student at Lenana School and a member of Kiambu Golf Club, termed his experience playing alongside international pros Yurav Premlall (South Africa), Alexander Levy (France) and Alex Fitzpatrick (England) as awesome.

“It was a tough moment drilling the shot with thousands of spectators in Karen and millions of eyeballs across the world watching me live on screen,” noted Gacheru whose role model in the sport is former world number one Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland.

“I noted that the pros were very consistent with their shots. They motivated me to work hard, as my focus is to play in the DP World and the PGA tours in the future.

“Some of the takeaways from mingling with the pros is that  I should cultivate patience on the course, I have to accept mistakes as not all shots will go my way, I learnt that I have to know how to handle both tough and easy times on the fairways, they also told me to practice a lot as that’s the only way to be perfect in the game,” said Gacheru who sunk a hole-in-one prize at the annual Lenana Founders Day Golf Tournament the other week.

Ruaraka Academy Grade 9 player Alpha Ndungu was elated to be pitted alongside 2021 MKO champion Justin Harding of South Africa in the challenge. Other pros in his batch included Adri Arnaus (Spain) and Gregorio De Leo (Italy).

“The experience was quite good, but it had some kind of pressure. I can say I enjoyed it and had some fun in it,” Ndungu noted.

Playing off handicap 3.0, Ndungu noted that his batch inspired him in various ways, including how to carry himself as a golfer; they also imparted him course management skills.

“I noted that the pro level of discipline is on another tier. I also want to thank the sponsors who made this happen. Let them continue putting smiles on the faces of young players like us because we are the future of Kenya in the coming editions of the MKOs,” the Muthaiga Golf Club player noted.

Ndungu, who lifted the Simba Junior Golf League in Muthaiga last November, said his dream in the sport is to punch a ticket to the PGA Tour and win trophies, including the Olympics. He, too, is inspired by McIlroy.