The competitors teeing up in this week’s Kenya Open on the DP World Tour may not find themselves at the top of the world rankings, but there is little doubt that the battle for supremacy at the Muthaiga Golf Club is highly competitive.
Dean Burmester heads the market, but the fact he is available at 30/1 goes to demonstrate just how open the tournament looks to be.
Last year’s winner Justin Harding is 33/1, but it has to be remembered that triumph came at Karen Country Club and those keen to back a player with course form may be looking at Adrian Meronk after he was fifth in the Kenya Open when it was held at this week’s course five years ago.
The Pole is also available at 33/1, but there are plenty of other players who could go well and claim a triumph on Sunday.
Bekker Could Lead the Charge
The change of course for this tournament means that form on the track is thin on the ground, but one player who has enjoyed fine form at Muthaiga is South African Oliver Bekker.
He was ranked outside the world’s top 1,300 when he finished 18th on his course debut in the 2010 renewal and has made some other good subsequent appearances.
He was 14th in 2012 and sixth in 2018, and his recent form also points to a decent showing for the 37-year-old from Pretoria.
The DP World Tour took in two tournaments at Ras al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates at the beginning of the month, and Bekker finished ninth in both of them, so Bekker’s game appears to be in fine fettle, and he may represent some good value at 33/1.
Sharma Looks Set to Shine
One player who has not had any experience of the examination provided by Muthaiga is India’s Shubhankar Sharma, but he has the pedigree that suggests he could be of interest at 40/1.
He is looking for his third victory at this level, and his first European Tour success came in Africa when he took the honours at the 2018 Joburg Open.
Sharma has some of the best 2022 form in the book after finishing second to Thomas Pieters in the Abu Dhabi Championship, one of the DP World Tour’s premium events, so he deserves to be respected in this company.
David Can Lay Down the Law
It is not surprising that a case can be made for quite a few competitors in such an open event.
Keep an eye out for Scotland’s David Law, who has had a few spins around Muthaiga some time ago, but could be of interest at 60/1 after Ras al Khaimah finishes of seventh and 25th, which suggest he can give a good account.
Connor Syme is 45/1 after he finished third at Karen CC last year and was a winner on the Challenge Tour in 2019. He was another who made a good impression at Ras al Khaimah with finishes of 27th and sixth.
It is also worth keeping an eye on Adrien Saddier, who has still yet to win at this level but produced his best performance at this course when he was second in 2017, an effort that included a second-round 62. He is 125/1 to break his duck this week.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
