It is the third time that the Magical Kenya Open is being held at the Karen Country Club as a DP World Tour event. The first two editions were in 2019 and 2021. In the first, Justin Harding finished second, one stroke behind Guido Migliozzi. In the second, he claimed victory ahead of Kurt Kitayama. This Thursday, the 40-year-old South African veteran, who played with Ángel Hidalgo, started with a round of 66 strokes and is already making his presence felt at the top of the leaderboard. He has placed in the top 20 playing in the afternoon. Keep an eye on Harding.
It is true that you have to go back many years to find that version that took him to be in the world’s top 50 in 2019. He hasn’t been at that level for a while. In fact, that 2021 win at Karen was his last victory. In the past four years, he hasn’t managed to secure any top 10 finishes in tournaments counting towards the world ranking. Between some stints in LIV Golf in 2022 and various physical problems, the South African’s performance has plummeted. He is now ranked 831 in the world and in all of 2025, he played 20 tournaments and only made eight cuts. But if there’s anywhere he can resurrect, it’s at Karen.
Another one to keep an eye on is Casey Jarvis (-8). Firstly, for a more than obvious reason. He signed the best round of the afternoon and tied for the lead with Niklas Lemke (-8). Secondly, because he is far from being a one-hit wonder. The South African has been doing well for a while and giving warnings. He was in contention to win in Mauritius at the end of 2025, broke into the top 10 in Bahrain, and again had victory chances last week at the NTT Data Pro Am of the HotelPlanner Tour. He is in form and keeps playing. His well-known problem is holding up under maximum pressure. Meanwhile, there is no more reliable method to overcome it than to keep pushing, pushing, and pushing again.
The other standout name of the afternoon in Kenya is the Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat (-7). Eight birdies and a solitary bogey. Another player with much more golf than his results suggest. It also seems that his best times, when he reached the world’s top 30, are behind him. His last victory, like Harding, was in 2021.
As for the Spanish players in the afternoon, Manu Elvira and Adri Arnaus, both at -3, were the best. The Cantabrian continues to play well, solid, consistent like few others. Meanwhile, Arnaus was on his way to being one of the best of the afternoon. After a magnificent eagle on the 18th hole, he reached a score of five under, although he eventually finished with two bogeys. He knows he must seize these opportunities, as like Alfredo García Heredia, he won’t have many weeks on the DP World Tour due to his category.
Sebas García (-2) is also within the provisional cut, while Ángel Hidalgo (-1) is just outside. Iván Cantero started with a PAR card, which will require him to make a comeback this Friday playing in the morning if he wants to be there for the weekend.
