Darius van Driel realised a childhood dream as he captured his maiden DP World Tour title at the Magical Kenya Open presented by absa.
Related: Playoff king Mikael Lindberg last man standing in Cape Town
The 34-year-old went wire-to-wire as he carded a four under par final round of 67 to win by two strokes at Muthaiga Golf Club, ending a more than six-year wait for another Dutch victory on the DP World Tour.
View this post on Instagram
Van Driel, who regained his playing rights for 2024 at Qualifying School, started the day in a share of the lead with Spaniard Manuel Elvira, with the pair both searching for a maiden victory on Tour.
Both made the turn one under par, but van Driel pulled clear after an eagle at the par five tenth, holing a putt from more than 30 feet to take the outright lead on the day for the first time.
View this post on Instagram
He then bounced back from a bogey on the 11th with a gain at the 12th and he maintained his composure as he carded five consecutive pars and a final birdie on the 18th for a two-stroke victory.
Manuel’s older brother Nacho carded a five under par final round of 66 to share second place on 12 under with Qualifying School graduate Joe Dean, ranked 2,930th in the world at the start of the week and making just his second start on Tour since earning his playing rights.
Adrian Otaegui carded a six under par 65 to share fourth place with Manuel Elvira and Englishman Matthew Jordan on 11 under par.
View this post on Instagram
Player Quotes
Darius van Driel: “I feel great. A dream come true, really. It means a lot. As a kid you dream on the putting green…’this is for a win on the Challenge Tour’ or ‘this is a win on the DP World Tour’. Now it’s finally there, it’s what you always dream of.
“I was calm, but once the last putt went in I felt the emotions. I never thought it would hit that hard, but it did.
“(On ten) You have to hit the fairway. If you do it’s a pretty easy hole, but if you miss you’re blowing a chance for a birdie or an eagle. So hitting the fairway is key.
“Luckily (the putt on 18) was a very short one. I didn’t know what the score was exactly. I asked my caddie is it 13 or 14 and he said 12 was in. I didn’t know what the group in front of me did, if there were at 12 or holed an eagle. I didn’t want to let it go to a play-off. But I made a birdie and 14 was a good score.”
Joe Dean: “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. It’s got to be (life changing). It’s what people dream of, it’s what I’ve been aiming to do for a long time. After the last three or four years I never thought I’d get another chance. Still some gremlins to get past in order to get to my full potential, but like anyone you’ve got to get over them, squash them and keep going.”
Nacho Elvira: “I think I played pretty solid with my approach game this week. Off the tee you don’t have to hit many drivers. My driver wasn’t on point, I wasn’t very comfortable with the driver but my iron game was really good and that’s key around Muthaiga.
“(On his brother Manuel) At the end of the day, on the course, we have to look out for each other. He had a chance to win. It was a process for him. Finishing fourth is great. He handled the pressure quite well, I think. I’m rooting for him but I’m rooting for myself as well, but at the end of the day I’m rooting for him and I’m happy he’s finding his way.”
