Kitata, defending champion miss cut at Magical Kenya Open

Ugandan golfer Willy Deus Kitata, along with a host of other East African and regional competitors, struggled to match the high standard of play on display during the Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa.

After two rounds at the Muthaiga Golf Club course on Friday, a cut was enforced, leaving many players, including Kitata, out of contention for the $9.1 million prize pool.

Kitata, Kenya’s twelve representatives, Malawi’s Paul Chidale, and Nigeria’s Sunday Olapade—who only qualified for the event at the last minute—all failed to make the cut. Kenya’s contingent included Njoroge Kibugu, Greg Snow, David Wakhu, Samuel Njoroge, Dismas Indiza, Mohit Mediratta, Riz Charania, Edwin Mudanyi, Mutahi Kibugu, Erick Ooko, Simon Njogu, and Daniel Nduva, none of whom advanced to the final rounds.

Nineteen golfers, including defending champion Darius Van Driel of the Netherlands, also missed the cut, which was set at level-par 142 over the two rounds. Van Driel fell short by just one stroke. Other notable players who failed to progress included Chinese golfer Ashun Wu, the 2022 DP World Tour event winner, and South Africa’s Justin Harding, the 2021 champion. They were among the 77 professionals who missed the chance to compete for a share of the prize fund. Additionally, six amateurs, including Uganda’s Joseph Cwinyaai, were unable to advance to the final two rounds.

Kitata, who started the day six-over par, needed a strong performance to close the gap but ultimately fell short. He retired after 13 holes, having shot 14-over across the two rounds. Despite opening the second round with a birdie—his fourth of the tournament—he failed to capitalize on the momentum, immediately following it with a bogey on the par-3 11th. His struggles continued on the 12th, where his second shot landed in a bunker, though he managed to save par. A double bogey on the 14th, after failing to clear the trees on the right of the fairway, marked the beginning of his downward spiral. Despite saving par on the 15th, a bogey on the par-3 16th and a double bogey on the par-5 18th sealed his fate. Three additional bogeys in the first four holes of his back nine were the final blow, leading to his withdrawal.

Meanwhile, Cwinyaai managed only two birdies in the second round, overshadowed by 11 bogeys, finishing with a disappointing 9-over 80.

At the top of the leaderboard, Britain’s John Parry shone with a bogey-free second round, carding an impressive 8-under 63, including six birdies. He leads by one stroke ahead of France’s Herbert Benjamin, with South Africa’s Jayden Schaper in third place as the tournament heads into the third round at the par-71 course.