By After a week off, the DP World Tour returns with a diverse field of players heading to Nairobi, Kenya, for the 2023 Magical Kenya Open.
The headline acts here include Robert MacIntyre, Adrian Otaegui, and Antoine Rozner, but the field is also filled with a selection of local players, who are given a spot in this event each year.
This is not the deepest field you will find on the DP World Tour this season, but Muthaiga Golf Club is certainly a venue that will offer an intriguing test and in turn a great event.
Before we get into our picks for the 2023 Magical Kenya Open, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week’s event. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 guaranteed, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers, to wager with more confidence on your DP World Tour selections this week.
2023 Magical Kenya Open: Course Preview
Muthaiga Country Club has hosted this event 40+ times in its history, but for many years it was the site of a Challenge Tour event, most recently in 2017 and 2018. Last year, it returned to host an event at this level and fared well.
The winning score was -16 but that doesn’t tell the whole story, as Ashun Wu won by a commanding four shots, suggesting 4-under-par each day on average was a very strong score.
Ashun Wu ranked 4th for SG Approach, SG Tee to Green, and SG Putting so he put in what can only be described as a complete performance, which is why he was the clear winner.
At just over 7,200 yards, this Par 71 relies on testing your accuracy through the tree-lined fairways, and multiple water hazards, rather than putting stress on Driving Distance, which levels the playing field somewhat.
With just one year of recent DP World Tour form to go on at this course, it would be dangerous to draw too many parallels, without seeing them backed up over and over again, but there does seem to be some crossover with Crans-sur-Sierre.
Ashun Wu has a pair of top-9 finishes at Crans, and Thriston Lawrence, last year’s runner-up here, also won the Omega European Masters at that course last year, suggesting the Omega European Masters could be looked at as a link.
Magical Kenya Open Key Stats
- SG Tee to Green – Ashun Wu ranked 4th for SG Tee to Green last year when he won and looking at the traditional stats he was also 23rd in Greens in Regulation. This suggests strong iron play is required here, but also a top all-round game is needed to get it done. Only Aaron Cockerill finished inside the top 5 here last year whilst ranking outside the top the top-14 for SG Tee to Green
- SG Putting – Every player that finished inside the top 5 here last year ranked inside the top 23 for SG Putting, with Wu and Cockerill both ranking inside the top 4.
Magical Kenya Open Picks and Predictions: Outright Winner
Marcus Kinhult +5000 (Bet $100 to collect $5,100) The best odds for this Marcus Kinhult pick are at DraftKings
Marcus Kinhult has had an up-and-down career so far on the DP World Tour, perhaps not quite fulfilling his potential, but with injury problems and epilepsy derailing his career in recent times, it is somewhat understandable.
Back in 2019, Kinhult won the Betfred British Masters, beating Tour stalwarts, Eddie Pepperell, Matt Wallace, and Robert MacIntyre by one stroke. Later that year, he also had another chance of winning, but this time lost out in a playoff to an elite, Tommy Fleetwood.
There is no doubt that this was his best season on Tour, ending the year 12th on the Race to Dubai rankings, and he will look to work towards that again soon.
That can start here for Kinhult, who returns to a course this week, where he has finished 12th on the Challenge Tour, and 8th here 12 months ago.
Kinhult was 2nd going into the final round last year, but a one-over-par 72 dropped him down the leaderboard.
He now arrives at this course in good form again, as he finished 8th in the Dubai Desert Classic to get 2023 underway, and he has kept himself warm on the Nordic Golf League since, where he finished 8th last week.
In form, and returning to a course he’s played well before, Kinhult can add a second Tour victory to his collection, in a weak field.
| Sportsbook | Odds | Payout ($100 Wager) |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings Sportsbook | +5000 | $5100 |
| BetRivers | +5000 | $5100 |
| Unibet | +4500 | $5100 |
| Bet365 | +4500 | +4600 |
As you can see above, Kinhult is available at +5000 at a number of sportsbooks, but if you settle for the +4500 available elsewhere, you are giving up $600 in profit. Always compare the best odds for these DP World Tour events.
Alexander Knappe +8000 (Bet $100, to collect $8100) The best odds for this Alexander Knapper selection are at Bet365
German golfer, Alexander Knappe is in great form right now, finishing 34th, 3rd, and 6th in his past three starts.
The concern here is that he just enjoyed the Asian swing, and might not find his form again, here in Kenya, but I trust him to put in a strong showing once more, given his ball-striking prowess, and former efforts in this part of the world.
In the past three months, Knappe ranks 2nd on Tour behind only his countryman, and recent winner Marcel Siem, in terms of Ball Striking. He ranks 1st in Total Driving and 36th in Greens in Regulation, which is a perfect recipe for success here.
Knappe has a strong record in Africa, having finished 1st, 3rd, and 4th in the Dimension Data Pro-Am in South Africa, and he’s also finished T8 in this event, albeit at a different course.
He hasn’t made the cut at Muthaiga yet in his career, but given the way he is hitting the ball right now, I suspect that will change and I predict a strong weekend is ahead of the German, who has found a hot run of form.
| Sportsbook | Odds | Payout ($100 Wager) |
|---|---|---|
| Bet365 | +8000 | $8100 |
| DraftKings Sportsbook | +7500 | $7600 |
| Unibet | +5000 | $5100 |
| BetRivers | +5000 | $5100 |
As you can see in the table above, Alexander Knappe is as long as 80-1 and as short as 50-1, so it is important to compare his odds this week. An $8100 payout is far greater than the $5100 payout you can get elsewhere, so compare the best odds now.
