Darius van Driel finished two shots clear of Joe Dean and Manuel Elvira, with Nacho Elvira a further shot back in tied-fourth alongside Matthew Jordan and Adrian Otaegui; Van Driel's Magical Kenya Open win is his first DP World Tour title
Monday 26 February 2024 06:33, UK
Darius van Driel secured a breakthrough victory on the DP World Tour with a two-shot win at the Magical Kenya Open.
The Dutchman mixed an eagle with three birdies and a bogey during a four-under 67 at Muthaiga Golf Club to end the week on 14 under, two clear of Nacho Elvira and England's Joe Dean.
Van Driel lost his DP World Tour card last year but came through Qualifying School to secure his playing privileges for the 2024 season, with the 34-year-old's victory seeing him become the first wire-to-wire winner of the campaign.
"It means a lot, I never thought it [winning] would hit this hard," Van Driel said. "It is a dream come true. I kept my emotions cool all round, but after that last putt it is all coming out."
Van Driel started the day tied for the lead with Manuel Elvira and moved ahead when he followed a birdie at the third by eagling the par-five 10th, then cancelled out a bogey at the next by adding three more birdies on his back nine.
Dean birdied three of his last six holes to register the best result of his career, while compatriot Matthew Jordan was a further stroke back in tied-fourth after a final-round 66.
The 29-year-old Englishman earned his place on the DP World Tour by coming through all three stages of the Qualifying School in 2023, birdieing the last hole at the final stage in November to finish in the top 25 and take one of the final spots available.
But despite the season starting the week after, he did not tee it up until the Qatar Masters earlier this month as he did not have the money to fund a career on a tour that has already taken in seven countries and three continents so far this campaign.
After missing the cut in Doha, the world number 2,930 went back to being a delivery driver for Morrisons last week but after a birdie on the last on Sunday secured him a tie for second and a cheque for just over £170,000, life will now look very different.
"I don't think it's sunk in yet," he said. "It's got to be (life changing). It's what people dream of, it's what I've been aiming to do for a long time. After the last three or four years I never thought I'd get another chance. Still some gremlins to get past in order to get to my full potential, but like anyone you've got to get over them, squash them and keep going.
"I've never been one of the most over-confident people. Coming into this week was a bit daunting. Second event, you don't really feel like you belong and feel like you're trying to prove something. Luckily, I managed to get over that quickly and figure out how to get around the golf course."
Jordan finished on 11 under with Elvira and Adrian Otaegui, while Scottish duo Connor Syme and Ewen Ferguson shared seventh spot.
The DP World Tour heads to South Africa for back-to-back events co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour. The SDC Championship takes place at St. Francis Links, Eastern Cape and begins on Thursday. Stream the majors, PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and more on NOW.
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