After 111 tournaments on the DP World Tour, Darius van Driel (34) got a new chance to win his first DP World Tour victory. The Leidschendammer took the lead following 54 holes together with rookie Manuel Elvira at -10, but the gap with the pursuers was only one stroke.
The start of his final round at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi was – just like the three previous days – very solid: following two pars and a birdie on the par-4 third hole, he stayed in position for a long time. On the par-5 fourth, Van Driel had a good chance for a second birdie, but unfortunately it just missed. After Elvira’s bogey on five, Van Driel, who made a neat up-and-down from a difficult position, took the lead for the first time with -11. The par-5 7th gave Van Driel another good chance to go to -12, but the 3 meter putt went past – and because Elvira did record his birdie they were equal once more at -11.
Crucial eagle
On the par-4 ninth, Van Driel had another chance, but unfortunately that putt also did not go in. The solid play from tee to green, which has been excellent all week, gave the Dutchman many opportunities, but there was no real gap on the way to the finish.
Once through the turn, there was a rush at the top and there were now four players in the lead with -11. The moment of the round came on hole 10, where the Dutchman made a great long putt for eagle to move to -13 and immediately open a two-stroke gap. Van Driel also made an eagle on this 493-meter par-5 on the first day.
On the long par-3 11th, Van Driel missed the green on the right, and following a difficult chip he recorded his first bogey of the round (on Saturday Van Driel was clear). On the next hole, Van Driel immediately took this stroke back with a birdie (see video below) to bring the lead back to two strokes. Also on the 13th it was the putter with which the calm-looking professional avoided a bogey.
Another excellent first long putt on 16 – which remained close to the hole – allowed Van Driel to easily score a par. Also on 17 and 18 – following a fabulous chip that ended dead at the hole – he didn’t miss a beat. A tap-in birdie on 18 was enough for -14 and the win. Joe Dean from England and Nacho Elvira from Spain finished at -12 and shared second place.
‘A dream come true’
Van Driel started the week excellently with a 66, followed by rounds of 69 and 68. In the final round the game was once more solid and, given the tension, extra good. He never relinquished the lead and kept his cool on the last few holes before a final round in 67 (-4) strokes.
“It’s a dream come true, I was able to control my emotions the entire round, but now following the last putt it came out,” said an emotional Van Driel who finally realized what he had achieved. “I saw that everyone was around -10, so in my head it was 1 once morest 1. Maybe I looked calm from the outside, but I was very calculating. I thought maybe -12 or -13 would be good and thought that -14 would be safe. I got -14 and this is all I wanted,” Van Driel said in front of the cameras of the DP World Tour.
This new milestone in his career also resulted in a good check for $425,000. The brand new winner qualified for the DP World Tour this year through the Qualifying School. A week following he got his card he finished in the top 10, and two weeks later even in the top 5. A good start to the season with now a new exclamation point by securing his first victory at the highest level. After this result he is 6th in the annual rankings.
In addition to victories on the Alps Tour, Van Driel won twice on the Challenge Tour as a professional. In 2019 (Belgian Knockout) and 2021 (Porsche European Open) he already finished second on the DP World Tour. The last time a Dutchman won on the DP World Tour was in 2018: Joost Luiten won the Oman Open. Jan Dorrestein (1970 & 1973) and Maarten Lafeber (1999) also won in Kenya.
Daan Huizing, who congratulated Van Driel following his victory, started the week in Kenya well, but unfortunately dropped in the rankings and finished 68th. Anne van Dam and Mayka Hoogeboom unfortunately missed the cut on the Ladies European Tour this week, while Lars Keunen did the same on the Challenge Tour.
Below you can see some crucial steps on the way to victory:
Van Driel’s eagle at 10:
And the important birdie on 12 (following a bogey on 11) to regain the two-shot lead:
