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Darius Van Driel, 34, of the Netherlands, is the 2024 Magical Kenya Open-DP World Tour Champion after an impressive fourth-round score of -14 (270) at the Par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club.

The Dutchman was joyous after four days of impressive golf that yielded him the desired result.

“I am very happy with the win in this tournament with an incredible course and lovely atmosphere. Credit to my team for making this a reality. Kenya has been very friendly to us, so I look forward to coming again next year,” he said.

The birdie at hole No.18 elicited wild cheers as he sauntered to his first-ever DP Tour win with a finishing title of -4 under par.

He had a birdie in hole 3,12&18 and a super eagle shot at hole 10. His only undoing was in hole 11 where he got an unusual bogie with the World No.366 taking home a whopping 425,000 Euros(Kshs 66,026,544).

Coming in second with a total score of -12(272) after the final round was the duo of Englishman Joe Dean,29, and Nacho Elvira,37 of Spain who were tied in second place after a successful run.

They both closed the day at -4 under par 67 on the board.

Fighting close at joint fourth were the trio of Manuel Elvira, Matthew Jordan and Adrian Otaegui who closed their last round at -11(273) on the score list.

Otaegui finished on a brilliant -7(65) in the last round while Englishman Jordan closed at -6(66) with. Elvira on -1(70).

The Chief Guest at the Closing Ceremony Cabinet Secretary of Sports, Creative Economy and Youth Affairs Ababu Namwamba in his speech lauded the Organizers for a fantastic event.

“The economic spinoff of the tournament and the eyeballs has put Kenya on the map with over 500 million households watching. We want to sincerely thank the European Tour for making Kenya a fixture and we hope to continue making the Event memorable for all even in the future for everyone,” the CS said.

Meanwhile, Ugandan ace Ronald Rugumayo,31, is now channelling all his energy on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa after finishing his round on a score of +2(73) on the final day.

Rugumayo who spoke to the Media after his round stated his run at the Kenya Open was eventful and with great learnings for himself and his team.

“I think I played well overall save for a few mistakes which is normal for a golfer. All my rounds, I managed to get birdies but on the flip side also messed up a bit with some of my elements on the course. Regardless, I have to be grateful for the opportunity to represent Uganda and East Africa on the last day because I was their last hope. This is a big stage with good players from around the World and I am proud of what I have achieved alongside my caddie Stanley May from South Africa about preparations so that we make an impact.

His card was not a bad look as he managed a score of +2(286) across the 4 rounds and finished 71st overall on the leaderboard.

The 2024 event attracted 144 players with Kenya represented by 13 players. The total prize money was 2.5 million Euros ( Ksh388,425,000).

Leaderboard MKO 2024

Darius Van Driel ( Netherlands)-14(270)

Joe Dean ( England)-12 (272)

Nacho Elvira ( Spain)-12(272)

Manuel Elvira (Spain)-11(273)

Jordan Matthew (England)-11(273)

Adrian Otaegui ( Spain)-11(273)

Connor Syme ( Scotland)-10(274)

Ewen Ferguson ( Scotland)-10(274)

Deon Germishuys (South Africa)-9(275)

Jeong Wrong Ko (France)-9(275)