Okello: The closest a Kenyan came to winning

Veteran golfer, Jacob Okello believes that only the rains can help a Kenyan finally break the duck and win the Magical Kenya Open Golf Championships teeing off at the Muthaiga Golf Club on Thursday.

Okello’s 1998 second place finish at Muthaiga remains the best a Kenyan has reached in the Kenya Open or rather the closest a local has come to winning the coveted title. Okello lost in a sudden death playoff at the old hole 13th to Argentina’s Ricaldo Gonzalez. Since then, his best placing has been a fifth place in 2010. Okello says all the nine local pros at this year’s event stand a good chance of winning after the mentorship training they went through prior to the Open, as well as good playing time during the Safari Tour that enabled them to sharpen their skills.

“A Kenyan can easily win this year’s title at the Muthaiga Golf Club it only depends on weather during the four days of action. The course has really changed and our players have adopted to it, as they play there often. Someone like Greg snow is a member of Muthaiga and plays on the course almost daily and remember the final leg of the Safari Tour was held on the course, where all the eight players took part,” Okello said.

He added: “The foreign players may be slightly more superior by virtue of playing many events, because golf is all about practicing and playing as many times as possible, however, if it’s wet it would greatly favour our local players because they have mastered to play on the wet Kikuyu grass unlike the foreigners.”

Kenya Open golf tournament has been an event on the European-based Challenge Tour schedule since 1991, with the exception of the 1994 and the 2020 editions. Founded in 1967, the event that has switched venues between Muthaiga Golf Club and Karen Country Club is yet to witness a local golfer clinch the title.

The 53rd edition is here and there are high hopes once again for the local squad who will be challenging for the title against the experienced foreign golfers.