Benjamin Hebert birdied the final hole late in the day to steal the first round lead at the Magical Kenya Open presented by Johnnie Walker, the Frenchman carding a seven under par round of 64 to take a one-stroke advantage ahead of a packed leaderboard at Karen Country Club. The 34-year-old is a six-time winner on the Challenge Tour but has yet to claim a maiden European Tour title despite a number of agonisingly close calls, resulting in three runner up finishes during the 2019 Race to Dubai. Hebert, who has twice played at Karen Country Club during his time on the Challenge Tour, got off to a shaky start in Nairobi as he bogeyed the first – but six birdies, including at the 18th and an eagle at the par five 12th earned him a narrow lead. Seven players shared second place after the opening round on six under par, including Englishman Sam Horsfield – a two-time winner in the 2020 campaign who is making his first start of the 2021 Race to Dubai after returning from a back injury. Player quotes Benjamin Hebert: "It was a fantastic day. I played very solid all day long. It’s been a long time since it has been like this. We managed the distance control, because it’s very hard here with the wind and altitude. We weren’t too aggressive and a holed some good putts also. It was a good day. "In the morning you have to take out ten percent and in the afternoon it’s closer to 15 – that’s what we played. And I think we did pretty well. "Twelve is a short par five, so you always expect to have at least a birdie. I hit three wood then seven iron, a little bit long and holed a 15-foot putt. It was good but I played well all day, so I’m very happy. "My strategy worked well. I didn’t play too aggressive or hit many drivers. In the morning it’ll be a little bit wetter, so maybe we can be more aggressive with the pins, we’ll see tomorrow." Sam Horsfield: “I tore a disc in my back in Cyprus at the end of last year. Then I was just getting treatment and I didn’t feel like I was ready for the Middle East - I picked up a club around the time of the Saudi event. I had a good group today and it was a lot of fun and it’s great to be back competing. “It took me a while to get into the round even though I was three under through the first four. I still felt a little different to playing golf at home. The back nine was a little questionable but then I hit a good shot on the front nine and it sort of got me into the flow of the round again." Connor Syme: "Nine birdies – it’s been a while since I’ve had that in a round. I played quite well last week in Qatar, although my scores probably didn’t show that, especially over the weekend. "I liked this course a couple of years ago. Although my strength is my driving you actually don’t hit many drivers around here. If you get it in play you can make a few birdies. I played lovely on the front nine, a few silly mistakes unfortunately with a couple of bogeys, but nice to bounce back with a couple towards the end".

Scott Hend and Kalle Samooja moved into a share of the lead at the Magical Kenya Open presented by Johnnie Walker, with a packed leaderboard setting up an exciting weekend. The short and tricky nature of Karen Country Club has resulted in a tightly bunched field after the opening two rounds, but Australian Hend and Finland’s Samooja did enough to edge one shot ahead of the rest on 11 under par. Three-time European Tour winner Hend dropped shot at the last to miss out on the outright lead but a seven under par round of 64 underlined a return to form after three successive missed cuts. Samooja, meanwhile, birdied his final hole – the ninth – for a five under par 66, the 33-year-old chasing a maiden European Tour victory at an event which has yielded good results in the past – he finished tied for sixth at Karen two years ago while he also earned a top three on the Challenge Tour at this event in 2018, at Muthaiga Country Club. Scots Richie Ramsay and Connor Syme share third place with Dean Burmester of South Africa on 10 under par, with 38 more players within six shots of the lead heading into the final two days in Nairobi. Player quotes Scott Hend: "I played quite solid, hit a lot of the par fours and par fives in regulation so I had some tap in birdies. I’ve been a little inconsistent and it’s a little bit tricky out there so obviously I shot a good score but I missed a lot of putts so hopefully I can improve on that at the weekend. I’ll take what I get though, I’ve been playing terrible golf so far this year so it’s starting to turn around. I’ve just been driving it a bit better, putting a bit better. I’ve got a new set of irons in the bag from Titleist so it’s a combination of everything and hopefully the melon gets back on the shoulders and I can start going forward instead of losing it off in the trees. I don’t think the wind affects it that much here because you’re at so much altitude, it’s like Joburg or Crans, unless it’s blowing 40 you really don’t' pay too much attention to it, so if it’s coming off the left you maybe take it a couple of metres left, instead of ten metres. The ball cuts through the air quite a lot here so it’s not really a big challenge." Kalle Samooja: “I got off to a flying start, opening with three birdies, and then I was struggling a little bit to get quality shots. I don’t know why but I played the sixth hole really badly. It was just a bit of back luck from the rough and then a bit unlucky with the second shot, coming back into the bunker and then I struggled with the short game. "Then a huge bonus at seven from the front of the green, I don’t know how long it was – 50 metres, maybe more – for an eagle and then a good birdie at the last so I’m really happy with how I finished the round today. A birdie would have been good enough on seven but eagle gave me a bit of a boost for those last two holes."

Justin Harding is in pole position for a second European Tour title as the South African carries a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Magical Kenya Open presented by Johnnie Walker, courtesy of a seven under par third round 64 at Karen Country Club. The 34-year-old won his maiden title almost exactly two years ago at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, which continued a remarkable rise up the Official World Golf Ranking – peaking at 42nd in May of 2019. Included in that strong run of form was a share of runner-up spot at the 2019 Magical Kenya Open, and the 34-year-old will be hoping to go one better at Karen as he looks to build on his 16 under par total. Three players shared second spot on 14 under, with Johannes Veerman carding a flawless course-record 62 which comprised nine birdies. He was joined by his American compatriot Kurt Kitayama – who recovered from a tough spot at the seventh as his ball embedded in a sponsor board, eventually signing for a 66 – and Australia’s Scott Hend, who carded a 68. Scotland’s Callum Hill was a stroke further back on 13 under after a four under 67. Player quotes Justin Harding: "I played pretty good to be fair. I hit it solidly the first 12 holes and managed to make a couple of putts. I holed a wedge on ten which was an added bonus. Then after that I had my usual struggles on the 13th through the 17th and managed to roll in a good putt on the 18th to give myself a bit of an extra boost. "I'll give it my best effort. The golf course lends itself to a bunch of birdies. If you execute your golf shots and roll in a couple of putts you can certainly post a score. As you can see today, there are a couple of guys that went really deep. "It's just a matter of really taking advantage of the par fives and a couple of the driveable par fours and at the end of the day just being one shot better than the next guy. You've got to play it hole by hole. Two shots ahead, you'll probably find that by the time I tee off I'm not going to be leading. It's just going to be a matter of executing plans and trying to get over the line." Scott Hend: “The back nine today was a little bit average again but it’s only Saturday, and the leader on Saturday doesn’t necessarily lead on Sunday. I just need to be in position at the turn and come home hard. "The only reason it played hard today was because I made it play hard. I three-putted from ten feet on ten and made a mess of the 11th and the 12th holes, which are three pretty easy holes heading into the back nine. If you don’t take advantage of those holes you’re on the back foot straight away."

Justin Harding claimed his second European Tour title at the Magical Kenya Open presented by Johnnie Walker after an assured final-round performance helped him convert his 54-hole lead and claim a two-stroke victory at Karen Country Club. The South African entered the final day with a two-shot advantage over the field and was composure personified throughout as he opened with five straight pars before his round caught fire with a pair of back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh. He drove the green at the par four ninth and holed from 15 feet in front of the clubhouse to soar into a four-shot lead at the turn. He steadily maintained his lead all the way home and picked up one final birdie on the par four 17th to secure his second European Tour title, courtesy of a five under 66 and a 21 under total - the lowest winning total in the history of Kenya's national open. America's Kurt Kitayama finished second at Karen Country Club, two shots behind Harding, while Scotland's Connor Syme finished third on 17 under par. Spaniard Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez posted a closing eight under par round of 63 to secure solo fourth place on 16 under par, while French duo Romain Langasque and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet and South Africa's Jacques Kruyswijk finished a shot further back in a share of fifth place. Player quotes Justin Harding: "I’m very emotional now. It was hard work, I’m happy with the way I played. Kurt’s a hell of a competitor – I got him back for Mauritius – but I’m glad I went one shot better than a couple of years ago, I was bummed about that, but I was just happy with the way I managed my game. "I wouldn’t say I was in a slump but I was in a dip in form in terms of mixed results and it was nice to get over the line this time around. Winning isn’t everything but I think being in the winner’s circle again means a little more to me than I thought it did. "I think I got blown off the golf course like everyone else in Qatar. It was nice to come back to a place that I have nice fond memories of. I know Guido beat me by a shot here a couple of years ago and I felt like I played the golf course well and it is set up nicely for me. I’ve been saying to the guys all week that I think it is one of the fairest golf courses in terms of to the field that the European Tour plays all year. It’s just a fun golf course; you can make a bunch of birdies, you can make bunch of eagles and you can throw in some bogeys there as well. It’s just lovely to play." Connor Syme: "I came here a couple of years ago as well and really, really enjoyed the golf course and it was one I was looking forward to coming back to play. I played lovely, to be honest, I played really, really well and it was nice to finish off a good week with a strong finish. "We’ve got one day off and then back on it but it’s been fun to play the golf course and I’m looking forward to getting back on it."