NAIROBI, Kenya, February 19, 2026 - The 2021 Magical Kenya Open champion Justin Harding says he is excited to be back at the Karen Country Club for this year's edition of the DP World Tour event.
The South African says he is hopeful of a great result at a golf course where he has previously enjoyed success.
"I feel like I know the golf course, it's comfortable, hasn't changed much over the years. It's looking in lovely condition, so hopefully looking forward to a good week," Harding said.
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Harding famously carded a final score of 21-under-par-263 to win his second DP World Tour title in 2021, finishing by two strokes ahead of Kurt Kitayama of the United States.
Ahead of his MKO return, the 40-year-old confessed he is feeling nostalgic as he reflected on his performance in 2021.
"It feels like it's aged away. It feels good though, lots of good memories. I played well the year before that (2019) when (Migliozzi) Guido won. I played pretty well the week after that. I think it was, we were down here for two weeks back-to-back," Harding, who boasts 11 professional wins in his career, said.
The two-time Asian Tour champion is praying that the course will be friendly to him.
"Listen, it's one of those where if it comes off, it comes off and you can play well, but it's definitely one where you have to play from the fairway. I feel like once you start playing from the rough, it becomes a little tricky, especially getting into the greens. The greens are quite small and there's lots of little pockets that can tuck the pins awa," he said.
He added: "I am hoping for less rain and slightly firmer greens towards the end of the week, but all in all, it should be a really, really good week."
The South African teed off for Round 1 at 12:40 pm.
