The best placed Kenyan after the first round was 22-year-old Muthaiga's Pro golfer Mutahi Kibugu who shot three under par 68 with a bogey-less back nine to rank T20 at the end of the round.
South African Dylan Mostert has followed his maiden European Challenge Tour title at the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship with a splendid start at the Magical Kenya Open.
On Thursday 9 March, the first round of the European Tour event, he kicked off a run of three successive DP World Tour starts, setting the early target courtesy of a brilliant round of eight birdies, only dropping a shot at the par four ninth, his last hole of the round.
He closed the day on seven under par and was soon joined at that mark by fellow morning starter, John Catlin, with the American carding an eagle and five birdies in his flawless first-round effort.
The best placed Kenyan after the first round was 22-year-old Muthaiga's Pro golfer Mutahi Kibugu who shot three under par 68 with a bogey-less back nine to rank T20 at the end of the round.
"I am very pleased with how solid I played today. I kept the momentum going throughout the round, made some good putts and hit a lot of greens. The greens are small, so if you're hitting well on the green you're going to have a lot of chances. I managed to make a few putts and i'll just keep doing the same thing. I'm excited for tomorrow.
The greens are quite soft in the morning but they definitely firm up throughout the day. As soon as the wind picks up and the heat gets up they firm up and get faster, much tougher. It's definitely an advantage to play early in the morning.
I'm just grateful to be here, I got an invite. It fits nicely in my schedule and I'll have three DP World Tour events in a row now, going to South Africa, I'll finish the Sunshine Tour season off and then start on the Challenge Tour," the South African said after his round.
Wil Besseling and Pierre Pineau sit in a tie for third on six under, with Gavin Green, Borja Virto, Tom Murray, Nick Bachem and Casey Jarvis another shot back in joint-fifth.
"I feel like I left some out there on my back nine. I got off to a really hot start and just made some bad swings, I didn’t take advantage of the par fives and hit a really bad lay-up on the seventh.
This is, however, a nice way to build some momentum. I feel like I’ve been close, just a poor swing here, misjudgement here, that’s all it takes out here.
I was able to take two weeks off, put some work in on my game and it feels like it’s starting to pay off, so I’m really excited about that," Catlin said.