Steve Palmer's Kenya Open predictions & free golf betting tips

When to bet on the Kenya Open

By 4.20am on Thursday morning

It's also worth noting that Kwiff are offering a £30 free bet when new customers bet £10 on golf 

Where can I watch the Kenya Open

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 10am on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Kenya Open predictions

Ewen Ferguson
3.5pts each-way 16-1 Hills

Connor Syme
2pts each-way 35-1 bet365

Jesper Svensson
2pts each-way 28-1 bet365

Darius van Driel
1.5pts each-way 60-1 Betfair, Power

Santiago Tarrio
1pt each-way 75-1 bet365

New customers can get a £30 free bet when they bet on the Kenya Open with Kwiff

Steve Palmer's Kenya Open preview

Qatar Masters champion Rikuya Hoshino makes his first appearance since repelling everyone in style at Doha Golf Club – and the steady Japanese must be respected for the Kenya Open at the tight, tree-lined, fiddly Muthaiga Golf Club.

Hoshino is the highest-ranked player in the field, just ahead of Thriston Lawrence, whose confidence took a hit when he squandered a three-shot lead in the Joburg Open in November with a Sunday 75.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Ewen Ferguson 16-1

A windy Muthaiga seems ideal for Ewen Ferguson to prove the class act in attendance. The Scot is extremely accurate and ultra-comfortable in breezy conditions.

Ferguson, who won the Boys Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2013, threatened to win the Kenya Open on his Muthaiga debut in 2022, getting four shots ahead through three rounds, before carding a Sunday 76 to finish eighth.

The inexperienced Glaswegian pledged to learn from that setback and do better the next time he got a winning chance – and true to his word he won the Qatar Masters at a windy Doha just three weeks after his Kenya woe.

A second DP World Tour title came for Ferguson a few months later in the ISPS Handa World Invitational. He has had four top-fives since then, with two of them coming in South Africa, and the 27-year-old clearly relishes competition in this continent.

Since moving to Dubai last year, getting to tournaments in Africa is more straightforward, and Ferguson has turned up fresh and confident for the Kenya Open. He finished ninth in the Qatar Masters last time out.

Next best bet

Connor Syme 35-1

Ferguson's best friend, Connor Syme, should also be a Kenya contender. Syme, who won the Australian Amateur in 2016, is supremely accurate off the tee. He once took Scottie Scheffler to the 18th green in a Walker Cup match during an excellent amateur career.

Syme won on the Challenge Tour in 2019 and has threatened on numerous occasions on the DP World Tour, including when third in the 2021 Kenya Open at Karen CC. He has got a decent record in Africa generally, relishes windy conditions, has been in solid nick in recent months, and Muthaiga form figures of 26-55 should be considerably improved upon.

Other selections

Jesper Svensson 28-1
Darius van Driel 60-1
Santiago Tarrio 75-1

Swedish 27-year-old Jesper Svensson appears a DP World Tour champion in waiting. He won on the Challenge Tour last May, then finished runner-up three times before graduating to the main circuit. A runner-up finish in the South African Open in December was a barnstorming start to life on the DP World Tour.

Back in Africa this week, Svensson can build on his runner-up finish in the Bahrain Championship, where he manfully battled through illness. He followed up with 16th spot in the Qatar Masters.

Two other DPWT maidens appeal at bigger prices. Muthaiga is a dreamy layout for Darius van Driel and Santiago Tarrio – two of the most precise drivers around. They both have a couple of Challenge Tour victories to their name. Van Driel was 12th in the 2017 Kenya Open at Muthaiga, missed the cut by a shot when in dismal form in 2022, then finished 11th last year, closing with a 63.

Van Driel has also done well at Karen CC, finishing eighth in the 2016 Kenya Open and tenth in the 2021 Savannah Classic. In Africa just before Christmas he finished ninth in the Joburg Open and fourth in the Alfred Dunhill, building on his fourth place at DPWT Q School.

Tarrio was third at Muthaiga last year, carding weekend rounds of 64 and 66. Only the eventual champion – his compatriot Jorge Campillo – outscored Tarrio over the final 36 holes. He was in dire form before his Kenya Open debut in 2022, but carded four under-par rounds for 26th place. He finished 11th in the Mauritius Open in his last trip to Africa.

Course guide for the Kenya Open

• Course Muthaiga Golf Club, Nairobi, Kenya
• Prize money $2.5m ($416,750 to the winner)
• Length 7,228 yards
• Par 71 – four par-fives; nine par-fours; five par-threes
• Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Rikuya Hoshino (77), Thriston Lawrence (87), Adrian Otaegui (121), Alex Fitzpatrick (130), Ewen Ferguson (131)
• Course records - 72 holes 265 James Lee, Maarten Lafeber, Lee James 18 holes 61 Jacob Okello (2008 PGK Masters)
• Course winner taking part Ashun Wu
• When to bet By 4.20am on Thursday morning
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 10am on Thursday
• Time difference Kenya is three hours ahead of the UK and Ireland
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview The Kenya Open has been around since 1967, being staged at Muthaiga 42 times, including as a Challenge Tour event from 2009 through 2012 and in 2017 and 2018. The Kenya Open as a DP World Tour event has been at Muthaiga in 2022 and last year.
• Story of last year Jorge Campillo defeated Masahiro Kawamura by two shots
• Weather forecast Sunny, warm and windy throughout, particularly in the afternoons
• Type of player suited to the challenge Accurate drivers like Ashun Wu, Lorenzo Gagli, Aaron Rai, Robert Dinwiddie, Maarten Lafeber and Jorge Campillo have won at Muthaiga
• Key attribute Accuracy

Steve Palmer's Kenya Open key stat

Ten of the 18 Challenge Tour events at Muthaiga were won by a British player

Get a £30 free bet with Kwiff when you bet on the Kenya Open

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Kwiff golf Kenya Open betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new golf betting sign-up offer before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of this Kwiff free bets offer and what's expected of you as a new customer.

• The Promotion is only valid to new customers
• Participant must deposit and place a £10 bet as their first bet on any market (excluding each way) in the sportsbook with odds greater than or equal to 1.50
• Only original odds count toward the promotion. Supercharged odds do not count towards the promotion.
• An accumulation of smaller stakes will not count.
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• Rewards will be credited to qualifying participants within 48 hours after placing the qualifying bet.
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• This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
• Visit Kwiff for additional T&Cs
• Gamble responsibly
• For more info visit www.begambleaware.org

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