
South Africa's Jarvis holds off chasing pack to claim maiden Magical Kenya Open title
Reading Time: 4min | Sun. 22.02.26. | 17:48
Home hero Njoroge Kibugu finished tied for 61st place on five under
South Africa's Casey Jarvis on Sunday, 22 February, held off his closest challengers to become the new winner of the 2026 Magical Kenya Open at the Karen Country Club in Nairobi.
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Jarvis, 22, had six birdies in a final round that was twice interrupted by stormy conditions, to fend off American Davis Bryant by three strokes, and lay claim to his maiden DP World Tour title.
The winning moment for the youngster came on the 18th hole, when Jarvis sank his second eagle to round off his round of 62, becoming champion.
Casey Jarvis eagles the 72nd hole to win by three in Kenya 🔥#MKO2026 pic.twitter.com/nk6kk50JYB
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 22, 2026
"It is amazing," Jarvis, who had shared the lead after each of the first three rounds in Nairobi, told DP World Tour after his win, which he celebrated with members of his family.
"I have actually never won in front of my dad before. I have wanted to win in front of him so badly, and to finally do it when he is here, I cannot explain to you the emotions. I was so nervous coming down the last two, so yeah, it feels great.
"It's amazing. I've never won in front of my dad before. I've wanted to win in front of him so badly. To finally do it when he's here, I feel... I can't explain to you the emotions I was feeling, I was so nervous coming down the last two holes. It feels great!"
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 22, 2026
Casey Jarvis… pic.twitter.com/Gt4IBiaSVA
"There are not many words that can describe the feeling. I also wish my mum was here, but she is back home in the UK. But it is unbelievable, she has been with me through the ups, through the downs. I know this moment does not happen often, so we are going to celebrate it properly tonight."
Jarvis began with three birdies and a bogey in his first four holes to reach 19 under par, still one clear of compatriot Hennie Du Plessis.
Another gain came at the sixth, with Bryant pouring in three in a row from the fifth to stay on his tail as Jarvis reached the turn one ahead.
Du Plessis - after a double bogey at the seventh and birdie at the eighth - and Francesco Laporta each made two birdies early in the back nine.
Bryant coolly slotted his birdie at the 11th, but Jarvis brilliantly eagled the 12th, perfectly judging his putt up the steep slope in front of the green to move two up with six to play, moments before the hooter went to bring the players in as thunder rolled.
He extended his lead with a birdie on the resumption and holed a testing par putt at the next.
Laporta's par putt at the 15th somehow refused to drop and Bryant was forced to clip out of a bush at the same hole, though an excellent recovery saved par while Jarvis dropped a shot to cut the gap to two.
The American was back within one after a birdie at the next and another stoppage arrived with the leading pair having teed off on the 17th. Du Plessis and Jacob Skov Olesen just had time to birdie the 17th and 18th, respectively, to join Laporta on 19 under.
Jarvis took dead aim at the 17th flag as play resumed again with Bryant, from the rough, finding a greenside bunker. Jarvis' successful birdie putt gave him a two-shot lead going down the last.
Du Plessis went within a foot of an albatross up ahead, the resultant tap-in eagle taking him to 21 under after a 65.
Laporta and Kimsey made birdies to finish 20 and 19 under, respectively.
But that cleared the stage for Jarvis, who found the fairway and then the green in exemplary fashion before rolling in a 15-foot eagle putt to round off a momentous week in style.
CASEY JARVIS IS A WINNER ON THE DP WORLD TOUR 🏆
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 22, 2026
The 22-year-old South African wins the Magical Kenya Open.#MKO2026 pic.twitter.com/CFjWgkZKea
Reflecting on the two suspensions, he said: "It was hard not to think of the bigger picture, all the emotions go crazy in your mind. I never knew there were so many things going on in my mind; it was crazy. But I just tried to stay in the moment, play one golf shot at a time, and yeah, it seems to have worked pretty well.”
Bryant's birdie left him second outright ahead of Du Plessis and then Laporta.
Skov Olesen's 65 left him 19 under, along with Nathan Kimsey, whose fellow Englishman Matthew Jordan shot 62 to vault up to seventh.
Defending champion Jacques Kruyswijk followed three straight 67s with a 65 to finish 14 under and securely in the top 20.
Meanwhile, there were rounds of 63 for Romain Langasque, 64 for Sebastian Söderberg, and a bogey-free 65 to secure a six-under-par finish for home player Njoroge Kibugu, who, on Friday, 20 February, thrilled the home crowd with an eagle to make the cut for his first time as a pro.
Additional reporting by DP World Tour.











