DP World Tour : Magical Kenya Open Results
Darius van Driel claimed his maiden DP World Tour title in wire-to-wire fashion with a closing 67 at the Magical Kenya Open presented by absa.
An opening 66 set the tone and the Dutchman made just four bogeys all week in a 14 under total, finishing two ahead of England's Joe Dean and Spaniard Nacho Elvira.
Qualifying School graduate Dean - who just last week was working as a delivery driver - had 12 feet for eagle on the last to pile the pressure on Van Driel but had to settle for a birdie and a beautiful chip on the last from the leader set up a closing gain and an ultimately comfortable win.
It was a nip-and-tuck afternoon at Muthaiga Golf Club, with a four-way tie for the lead around the turn before Van Driel eagled the tenth to take control.
"It means a lot... it's a dream come true," said an emotional Van Driel.
The 34-year-old's golfing journey has been a remarkable one, with him giving up the game for a number of years after breaking his hand in a banana boat accident, but he decided to turn professional after finishing second at the 2015 Alps Tour Q-School.
He won the Order of Merit in his maiden season and then graduated from the European Challenge Tour in 2019, the same season he lost in the final of the Belgian Knockout to Guido Migliozzi on the DP World Tour.
Another runner-up finish came at the 2021 Porsche European Open and while he lost his card last season, he regained it at the Qualifying School and is now a winner in his 112th appearance.
The win - the first in 2,198 days for a Dutch player on the DP World Tour - moves Van Driel up to sixth on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex and eighth on the International Swing.
edit *** Canada's Aaron Cockerill saved his best until the last 70 72 71 67 -4 T42 worth $17,600. Now ranked #13 in the Race to Dubai he will play next week at the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa.
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
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