The Magical Kenya Open has been played since 1967, but it makes its debut on the European Tour this week after nearly three decades as a stop on the Challenge Tour. Playing at the same time as THE PLAYERS Championship was always going to lead to a weaker field, and organizers have to be disappointed with the lineup pegging it up at the Karen Country Club in Nairobi.
Justin Harding came off as the betting favorite at BookMaker.eu with odds of +1200. Lorenzo Gagli is the defending champ, though his victory came at a different layout. When the Open was last played at Karen in 2016, Sebastian Soderberg hoisted the trophy. Most of the contenders are off the board for matchup odds, but check BookMaker.eu for updates as we near the opening round.
Magical Kenya Open Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Ivan Cantero Gutierrez +105 vs. Jamie Abbott -135
Jacob Okello -125 vs. Justus Madoya -105
Oscar Lengden +105 vs. Sebastien Gros -135
Eduardo De La Riva -105 vs. Filippo Bergamaschi -125
Antoine Rozner -110 vs. Borja Virto -120
Christian Braeunig -120 vs. Clement Berardo -110
Daniel Gavins -105 vs. Marcel Schneider -125
Martin Wiegele -110 vs. Robin Dawson -120
Chris Lloyd -110 vs. Yanwei Liu -120
Raphael De Sousa -120 vs. Ugo Coussaud -110
David Cooke -125 vs. Dismas Indiza -105
Duncan Stewart -110 vs. Espen Kofstad -120
Hyo-Won Park -120 vs. Joseph Dean -110
Nico Geyger -110 vs. Philipp Mejow -120
C.J. Wangai -125 vs. David Odhiambo -105
Need To Know
The Magical Kenya Open isn’t living up to its name with a watered down field. And as such it’s harder to handicap, which is why most of the big (bigger) names competing in this event are currently off the board. That will change as we get closer to tee time, so visit BookMaker.eu to get the latest odds update. In the meantime, we’ll roll with what we have, and unfortunately it isn’t much. Now, with our disclaimer out of the way, let’s forge ahead and have a look at the layout.
We have a contrast to what the Tour just finished up playing in the Middle Eastern desert swing. The wide open space in Qatar and Oman gives way to tight, tree-lined fairways at Karen. Altitude also comes into play, shrinking an already short course that doesn’t reach 7,000 yards when stretched out. Keep the ball in play and you will go low. All the par-5s are reachable and should yield a number of birdie and eagle opportunities.
Magical Kenya Open Matchup Picks
Espen Kofstad -120 vs. Duncan Stewart
It’s been an up-and-down return to the Euro Tour for Kofstad with a lot of high scores and the occasional low one, too. He did shoot a 65 in Perth a few weeks back. He was a stud on the Challenge Tour winning three times and he’s had success in Kenya with a T4 in 2016, the last time the event was held at Karen. I honestly don’t know a lot about these golfers, but Kofstad’s Challenge Tour success and a return to his roots will be a different-maker.
Hyo-Won Park -120 vs. Joseph Dean
His success on the Korean Tour hasn’t followed him, but Hyo-Won Park will keep firing away. Park has 12 career top-5s, including a win last year at the Jeju Open, so the guy can play. And he’s looking forward to getting out of the desert after failing to advance to the weekend in Qater and Oman. In fact, Park has missed the cut in his last five starts on the Euro Tour. I’m gonna say he’s due for a breakthrough and he should in a weakened field.
David Cooke -125 vs. Dismas Indiza
It’s been hit or miss for Cooke over his last six events. He’s missed the cut three times and he’s placed among the top-25 in the others. So, which Cooke shows up this week? His inconsistent play has kept him from climbing to a higher status and he spent the last several months working on his game. He was T18 at the Quito Open last year with a R2 75 keeping from a better finish. He opened the Diners Club Peru Open last October with a 69 only to miss the cut after scoring 75 the next day. He’s a former amateur champion with the goods, and this field should help his confidence.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The Magical Kenya Open is scheduled for March 14-17 and can be seen on Golf Channel.
