After spending four weeks straight flitting between Dubai and Qatar as part of this year’s opening International Swing, the DP World Tour returns this week after taking a brief reprieve to swap the Middle East for its second visit to Africa this season. And opening up this sojourn will be one of the tour’s newest tournaments in the shape of the Magical Kenya Open, an event that saw its inaugural bow in 2019.

Having been hosted by the Muthaiga GC for the past four years, however, the Open returns to those original roots this week by heading back to the site where it all began seven years ago in the shape of the Karen Country Club.

Dating back to the 30s, this former coffee estate-turned-golf course is about as classic as you can get in terms of its parkland design. Having resisted the urge to add length to its 6,921 yards in a bid to bolster its defences against the onslaught of modern equipment and faster swing speeds, Karen Country Club relies on its narrow, treelined fairways, lush Kikuyu rough, and small, fast Bent greens to form the bulk of its artillery against those golfers seeking to plunder her for too much in the way of low scores. Naturally, those defences can still only do so much when it comes to a course as short as Karen is – and, especially so, when the altitude sees it play even shorter again – therefore, it is the kind of course that can be overpowered by those big hitters willing to take advantage of their firepower.

After spending the last four weeks in the desert, though, those golfers with heaters in their drivers will need to be wary that they don’t get too trigger-happy in their efforts to bludgeon their way to the title this week. Because, whilst the Karen Country Club might well be one of the older tracks that the DP World Tour will visit this season, that doesn’t mean the old dame isn’t without her tricks. And for those challengers who’ll emerge on Sunday, eager to add a title to their résumé, with rain scheduled for the final round, I wouldn’t bet against Karen finding a way to make things a whole lot less magical before the day is out.

THE ORACLES’ FOURBALL

ANGEL AYORA

Coming into the season with a lot of promise and expectations as one of the brightest young stars on the tour, Angel Ayora has been steadily building some nice momentum. Having played all four legs of the tour’s most recent visit to the desert, Angel amassed a T-13 at the Dubai Invitational, a T-26 at the Dubai Desert Classic, an underwhelming T-67 at the Bahrain Championship, but then rounded his efforts off with an impressive T-5 at the Qatar Masters. They’re solid results. Exactly what you need to be doing at this time of the season.

Therefore, with Angel heading to Karen Country Club this week, I think we’ll see another steady step in that progression. Naturally, his incredible length off the tee will be a significant weapon given the altitude and how short the course is, but he’ll need to pair that heat with vastly improved accuracy if he’s to really get into the mix.

*The late addition of Angel Ayora is because I had Jayden Schaper originally in this slot, but, as I discovered this morning, after writing this preview earlier in the week, having originally been down to be playing in this tournament, Jayden isn’t actually playing. Therefore, I substituted in Angel as I would’ve been picking him had that not been the case.*

MICHAEL HOLLICK

Having almost gone with the defending champion, Jacques Kruyswijk, I decided to settle on Michael Hollick to do well at this week’s Magical Kenya Open.

Whilst coming off the back of an underwhelming visit to the Middle East, wherein he finished no higher than 47th, given that Michael posted two back-to-back top-10s when the tour stopped off in Johannesburg and Mauritius back in December, I’ve a feeling this upcoming run of events in Africa will suit the 38-year-old South African.

Because, more than anything, Michael’s game is built around accuracy off the tee and getting the job done on the greens. So, whilst Karen Country Club can be overpowered by the bigger hitters, I think it’s the perfect course for someone like Hollick to come in and dissect his way up the leaderboard. Now, a later afternoon tee-time might see him needing to contend with increased winds and greens that have seen a lot of foot traffic, but if he can put together a steady round on Thursday, he could come out early on Friday morning and really make his move.

*Again, having assumed that Daniel Hillier would be playing after seeing his name down for the Magical Kenya Open, I’ve had to substitute in Michael Hollick at the last minute. However, at the time of updating the article, Michael had not yet taken to the course *

CALUM HILL

Off the back of Calum’s consecutive runner-up finishes in Bahrain and Qatar, this may well seem like a somewhat obvious choice of going with the ‘hot hand’. And whilst there’s always a danger that making such a decision can backfire, given that the rollercoaster-like ups and downs of being a professional golfer can see last week’s runner-up unceremoniously cut the following one, Calum has actually been playing quite consistently this season.

Yes, up until that pair of strong finishes in the Middle East, his performances hadn’t been outstanding, managing no higher than a T-32. But apart from his lone missed cut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Calum has been playing every weekend of every other tournament that he’s entered thus far in the 2026 season. And the value of that playing time cannot be underestimated. No, you might not be competing for the title. And, no, you’re not heading out with the leaders and experiencing the pressure that comes with that. But you’re still playing tournament golf. You’re sharpening your game, honing your skills. And that appears to be what Calum has been doing. He bided his time, put in the work, and he eventually found himself at the end of the leaderboard that yields big R2D points and even bigger paycheques.

Therefore, whilst those two big finishes in Bahrain and Qatar don’t inherently mean that Calum will be vying for the Magical Kenya Open title this week, the Scotsman does have the requisite game to do just that. Because, whilst he hasn’t been lighting up the stat sheets with his tee-to-green game, Calum has been performing with the flatstick, ranking incredibly high across the board in the putting categories. So, if he can muster a similar performance with his long game that he did a couple of weeks ago, and give himself consistent looks on the short grass? Then, around a parkland course similar in style to Houghton Golf Club, where he won the Joburg Open last year, Calum Hill could, indeed, go one better than those two runner-ups in the desert.

ALEX FITZPATRICK

Whilst trying to follow in the footsteps of an older sibling is always a challenge, it must be particularly difficult when you’re trying to be a professional golfer, and your older brother happens to be a Major champion and a Ryder Cup stalwart.

Well, that’s been the conundrum facing Alex Fitzpatrick since he turned pro in 2022 and followed his older brother, Matt, into the realm of professional golf. And whilst the young Englishman’s career to date hasn’t been littered with the same level of success as Matt – which, to be fair, would be difficult for anyone to replicate, let alone his baby brother – Alex has been building a steady career for himself in the four years that he’s been a fully-fledged professional. A win on the Challenge Tour back in 2023. A nice bit of money in the bank. It’s all good. Not the same lofty heights as those which have been reached by Matt, but that’s alright. Alex is forging his own path. And when you see the results that he’s been posting so far this season, all signs point towards Alex becoming all the more comfortable as a touring professional.

Because, much like Matt, Alex’s game is built around consistency. He’s been one of the most accurate drivers on tour this season. And he’s been one of the most consistent ball-strikers, with his GIR% ranking amongst the very best. What’s been holding the 27-year-old back, however, has been his performances on the short grass. Because it’s perfectly fine hitting fairways and greens. But if you aren’t capitalising on that by making putts? Or, as is the case with Alex, actually losing strokes on the rest of the field with the putter? You’re always going to be fighting against the tide.

The thing with the putter, though, is that you only need it to click for four days. So, with a course that seems tailor-made to his strengths, if Alex can somehow find that all-important magic touch on the greens this week and get the putter rolling early, then, with his accuracy, he could finally join Matt in declaring himself a winner on the DP World Tour.