Kenya at 50: key stats
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<em>Ahead of the 50<span style="font-size: 10px;">th </span>edition of the Barclays Kenya Open, we look at the key figures that have made the east African event one of the European Challenge Tour’s most famous and cherished institutions.</em>
<strong>1967</strong>– the date of the first edition of the Barclays Kenya Open. The event, first won by<strong>England’s Guy Wolstenholme</strong>, has since been held every year barring<strong>1973</strong>and<strong>2003</strong>in the country’s capital,<strong>Nairobi</strong>.
<strong>26</strong>– the number of years that the Kenya Open has been a Challenge Tour tournament. After first joining the tour in<strong>1991</strong>, the Challenge Tour has hosted<strong>26</strong>editions of the tournament, except for in<strong>1994 </strong>(when the event was played on a different tour)and<strong>2003 </strong>(when the event was cancelled).
<strong>17</strong>– the number of<strong>English</strong>winners of the tournament, the most by any country. A total of<strong>13 </strong>nationalities have tasted success in Kenya, with<strong>South Africa</strong>and<strong>Scotland </strong>both on<strong>five </strong>titles,<strong>Ireland</strong>on<strong>four</strong>titles, the<strong>Netherlands</strong>,<strong>Wales</strong>,<strong>Spain</strong>and<strong>Argentina </strong>on<strong>three</strong>, while<strong>Sweden</strong>is on<strong>two</strong>and<strong>Northern Ireland</strong>,<strong>Switzerland</strong>,<strong>Zimbabwe</strong>and<strong>Italy</strong>all boast<strong>one</strong>title apiece.
<strong>3</strong>– the most wins by any one player in Kenya Open history.<strong>England’s Maurice Bembridge</strong>triumphed in<strong>1968</strong>,<strong>1969</strong>and<strong>1979</strong>. The only other player to have won in Kenya more than once is the<strong>Netherlands’ Jan Dorrestein</strong>, who lifted the title in<strong>1970</strong>and<strong>1973</strong>.
<strong>3 </strong>– the number of players who have won the Kenya Open before going on to win a Major. They are<strong>Seve Ballesteros</strong>(who won the Kenya Open in<strong>1978</strong>before going on to win five Major titles),<strong>Ian Woosnam</strong>(who won in Kenya<strong>five</strong>years before his<strong>1991</strong>Masters Tournament victory) and<strong>Trevor Immelman </strong>(who triumphed in Kenya<strong>eight</strong>years before winning at Augusta in<strong>2008</strong>).
<strong>2</strong>– the number of players who have won in Kenya and have then gone on to captain Europe in The Ryder Cup –<strong>Ballesteros</strong>(a winning captain in<strong>1997</strong>) and<strong>Woosnam </strong>(a winning captain in<strong>2006</strong>).
<strong>10</strong>–<strong>Ballesteros</strong>and<strong>Woosnam</strong>are also<strong>two</strong>of<strong>ten </strong>players who have won in Kenya before going on to play in The Ryder Cup.<strong> Ballesteros</strong>made<strong>eight</strong>appearances in the biennial match,<strong>Woosnam</strong>also represented Europe<strong> eight</strong>times, while<strong>Brian Barnes</strong>and<strong>Ken Brown</strong>– both winners of the Kenya Open in the early 1980s, have<strong>six</strong>and<strong>five </strong>Ryder Cup appearances to their names respectively. Kenya champions<strong>Bembridge</strong>,<strong>José María Cañizares</strong>and<strong>Eammon Darcy</strong>all have four appearances to their names, while Irish golf legend<strong>Christy O’Connor Jnr </strong>has teed it up for Europe<strong> twice</strong>.<strong>Edoardo Molinari </strong>and<strong> Brian Waites</strong>made their solitary Ryder Cup appearances in<strong>2010 </strong>and<strong> 1983 </strong>respectively.
<strong>41</strong>– this year will be the<strong>41<span style="font-size: 10px;">st</span></strong>time that<strong>Muthaiga Golf Club</strong>has held the Kenya Open.
<strong>9</strong>– the number of times that neighbouring<strong>Karen Golf Club</strong>has hosted the Kenya Open.
<strong>64</strong>– the course record at<strong>Karen Golf Club</strong>, shot by<strong>France’s </strong><strong>Joël Stalter</strong>in<strong>2016</strong>.
<strong>61</strong>– the course record at<strong>Muthaiga Golf Club</strong>, achieved by home favourite<strong>Jacob Okello</strong>in the<strong>2008 PGK Masters</strong>.
<strong>2<span style="font-size: 10px;">nd</span> </strong>– the best result by a<strong>Kenyan </strong>player in their home open. In<strong>1998</strong><strong>Okello </strong>narrowly lost out in a three-hole play-off to eventual champion<strong>Ricardo Gonzalez</strong>, who made a par at the 13<span style="font-size: 10px;">th</span>hole at Muthaiga Golf Club, while<strong>Okello</strong>made bogey.
<strong>21</strong>–<strong>Okello </strong>will also make history this year when he tees it up for the 21<span style="font-size: 10px;">st</span>in the Kenya Open – the most appearances by any player.
<strong>33 </strong>– the record number of Kenyan players competing in a single edition of their home open since it became a Challenge Tour event, a feat that was achieved in<strong>2013</strong>.
<strong>24</strong>– the difference between the highest and lowest winning scores in Kenya Open history. When<strong>Bembridge</strong>triumphed in<strong>1968 </strong>a<strong>five over par</strong>score was good enough for victory, while in<strong>2002 Lee James</strong>was an outstanding<strong>19 under par </strong>when he won his second Challenge Tour title.
