Jarvis clinches Magical Kenya Open title as Kibugu finishes T61 at Karen

Kibugu produced an impressive five-under-par round on the final day to close the tournament at six under par overall, settling for a share of 61st place.

The 22-year-old had earlier thrilled the home crowd by making the cut dramatically. A four-under-par 66 in the opening round laid a strong foundation, and after birdieing the seventh hole on Friday to move to five under, he looked comfortably inside the cut line. He sealed his weekend spot in style with a stunning eagle on the 18th.

South Africa’s Casey Jarvis emerged victorious after a commanding performance across the four days. Jarvis fired an eight-under-par 62 in the final round to finish at 25 under par overall, clinching the DP World Tour title by three strokes.

American Davis Bryant finished second at 22 under after a strong closing round of six under par, while South Africa’s Hennie Du Plessis secured third place at 21 under.

The tournament witnessed intense competition, with Angel Ayora, Francesco Laporta, Nathan Kimsey and others remaining in contention deep into Sunday.

Jarvis had been at the top of the leaderboard from the opening round on Thursday and maintained his composure through to Sunday’s finale.

He shared the lead after each of the first three rounds and successfully held off Bryant in a final round that was twice interrupted by stormy conditions in Nairobi.

He began the final day brightly with three birdies and a bogey in his opening four holes to reach 19 under, one clear of compatriot Du Plessis. Another birdie at the sixth kept him ahead as Bryant responded with three consecutive birdies from the fifth to remain within striking distance.

The turning point came at the par-five 12th, where Jarvis brilliantly holed an eagle putt up a steep slope to move two shots clear with six holes to play, moments before play was suspended due to thunder.

Upon resumption, he extended his lead with another birdie and calmly holed a crucial par putt on the following hole. Although he dropped a shot later to briefly narrow the gap, Jarvis held firm.

Bryant closed to within one shot after a birdie on the 16th, but another weather delay added further drama. When play resumed, Jarvis struck a precise approach on the 17th and converted the birdie putt to restore a two-shot cushion heading to the final hole.

Up ahead, Du Plessis narrowly missed an albatross but tapped in for an eagle to reach 21 under after a 65. Laporta and Kimsey finished at 20 and 19 under, respectively, while Jacob Skov Olesen also signed for 65 to join Kimsey at 19 under. England’s Matthew Jordan surged into seventh with a superb 62.

With the stage set on the 18th, Jarvis found the fairway and the green before rolling in a superb 15-foot eagle putt to seal a memorable victory.

An emotional Jarvis celebrated the win with his father in attendance.

“It’s amazing. I’ve never won in front of my dad before. I’ve wanted to do that for so long, and to finally achieve it when he’s here, I can’t explain the emotions,” he said.

“I was so nervous over the last two holes, but it feels great. There aren’t many words to describe this feeling. I wish my mum were here too, but she’s back home in the UK. He’s been with me through the ups and downs, and we’re going to celebrate properly tonight,” the 22-year-old added.

Defending champion Jacques Kruyswijk finished 14 under after closing with a 65, securing a top-20 finish.

Final Results – Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa (Karen Country Club)

1. Casey Jarvis (-25) 255
2. Davis Bryant (-22) 258
3. Hennie Du Plessis (-21) 259
4. Francesco Laporta (-20) 260
5. Jacob Skov Olesen (-19) 261
6. Nathan Kimsey (-19) 261
7. Matthew Jordan (-18) 262
8. Angel Ayora (-17) 263
9. Cameron Adam (-16) 264
10. Frederic Lacroix (-16) 264
11. Ricardo Gouveia (-16) 264
12. Romain Langasque (-16) 264
13. Sebastian Soederberg (-16) 264
14. Njoroge Kibugu (KEN) (-6) 274​