Young golfer earns Sh20m in Kenya

Having been elevated to the European tour recently, The Magical Kenya Open delivered the spectacle it was expected to. Being a member of the European tour meant that a wide range of golfers would compete for the top price.

However, in all the fuss associated with the tournament, Italian 22-year old golfer Guido Migliozzi was on top of it all. Guido was the victor of the Magical Kenya Open managing away with 183,330 Euros, equivalent to Ksh20.5 million. Migliozzi claimed the 2019 title after returning a score of 2-under par, 69 for round four to take his overall score to 16-under par 268.

Migliozzi, playing in only his 14th Tour event having come through Qualifying School last year, produced a composed performance down the stretch to hold off Adri Arnaus and South African pair Louis de Jager and Justin Harding.

The Italian started his campaign at the 2019 Magical Kenya Open with a score of 4-under par after round one, following it up with a 2-under par score on Friday to successfully make the CUT to play at the weekend. It was at round three that the Italian turned on the style with an impressive 7-under par score to give him a share of the lead going into the final round.

The 22-year-old, a three-time winner on the Alps Tour, spent the first half of his round jostling for the lead with playing-partner Arnaus, and the pair were tied at the top with De Jager until the tournament swung in Migliozzi’s favour at the long 12th.

It was at the back nine, where the 22-year-old would prevail, starting off with a birdie on the par-4, 10th and another at the 12th to hold a one-shot lead. At this point, the crowd’s pressure was building up steadily, Migliozzi went on to show some steady nerves, to hold par in his last six holes to take the title.

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Speaking to journalists after the event, Migliozzi expressed his joy for winning the title and talked about his experience in the Magical Kenya Open.

Simon Ngige finished as the best placed Kenyan.

“I enjoyed the last two days very much. The pressure was a lot and I’m happy about how I have played under pressure, also with my putting game that I worked a lot on. There was a lot of pressure on the course, obviously. After the birdie at the 12th, I was leading but it was tough. I just kept patient towards the end, that was it.” He said.

Adri Arnaus, alongside South African duo of Justin Harding and Louis De Jager, had to settle for joint second, a shot behind Migliozzi, on a score of 15-under par, 269. India’s Bhullar Gaganjeet finished a further shot behind on 14-over for a fifth-place finish.

Simon Ngige finished as the best placed Kenyan, after playing a round of 2-under par on the day to take his total to 5-under par, 279, to see him tied for 25th, alongside the 2016 Kenya Open winner Sebastian Soderberg. The other Kenyan to have made the cut, Justus Madoya finished tied for 72nd, with an overall score of 5 over par, 289.

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