Kenya Open Each-Way Tips: 40/1 Hill has a head for heights

• Scotland's Calum Hill fits a neat Muthaiga pattern

• Sebastian Soderberg is in a sweet spot

• The South Africans Casey Jarvis and Ryan Van Velzen are promising outsiders

This week's DP World Tour event is one of many that the folk at the top end of the modern golf world would like to see the end of, but which many of us adore more than any Signature Event or beer shower.

The anonymous author of 'The Secret Tour Caddy' puts this feeling nicely in his book writing: "If ever there was an aptly named tournament on tour it's the Magical Kenya Open ... because Kenya and the tournament are both magical."

"For starters," he adds, "the golf course is one of those tight old-fashioned layouts that are sadly a dying breed."

He also notes: "Being a bit sentimental at heart, it's also magical to see how many caddies get a bag."

A few of those have graduated from Glad's House, a charity that helps street kids find a safe house to live in and then work - in this case as caddies - to fund a change in their life prospects.

This week they'll all be back at Muthaiga Country Club, a lovely little tight track and because it's in Nairobi it's at altitude.

Recent columns have been a little intriguing, by the way. In Dubai 225/1226.00 pick David Micheluzzi peaked early to lead after 18 holes rather than 72. In Bahrain we identified the importance of Green Eagle winners and picked the wrong one (Marcus Armitage instead of Laurie Canter), and in Qatar last time out we highlighted how much we liked eventual winner Haotong Li without backing him.

That said, Li was a good example of players you might like but not at Monday or Tuesday prices. By the end of Wednesday he was double the typical each-way price on the Exchange so always keep it in mind.

Main Bet: Calum Hill 1pt each-way @ 40/1

In his early forays on to the Challenge Tour, Calum Hill highlighted his fondness for tree-lined courses (winning at Galgorm Castle and Silkeborg) and playing in thin air by winning (at Adamstal in Austria).

The Scot drew those two strands together when finishing eighth in this event at Karen in 2021 and he was third at the same course a week later in the Savannah Classic.

He's also been seventh at high-up Crans and third at tight Ishioka.

And two years ago he was T20 here at Muthaiga with a second round 64 and final round 66.

It's also possible that his win at Adamstal was instructive.

A few Muthaiga winners have not played that short track in the Alps, but of those who have Darius Van Driel won there, Lorenzo Gagli contended a couple of times and Robert Dinwiddie was the halfway leader. Ewen Ferguson has also nearly won at both courses.

The icing on the Hill cake is that he led Strokes Gained Putting in Dubai last month.

Next Best: Sebastian Soderberg 1pt each-way @ 22/1

He's among the three co-favourites and his inability to win last summer's Scandinavian Mixed when the runaway leader casts a shadow, but Sebastian Soderberg has a lot in his favour this week.

The Swede won the championship at Karen in 2016 and was sixth at Muthaiga in 2018 - when he was the two-shot 54-hole leader.

His form is neat too. He was outside the top 100 after 18 holes in Dubai but then finished nicely for T31, he was fifth a week later at Ras al Khaimah (when second for SG Approach) and then T24 in Bahrain.

The clincher is that he really likes playing at altitude.

He was fourth at Santo da Serra back in 2015, the winner at Crans in 2019, was third at Tahoe Mountain, and has top 20s on the high veldt around Johannesburg.

Final Bet: Casey Jarvis 1pt each-way @ 55/1

Like Hill, Casey Jarvis is a winner at Adamstal - in his case in 2023 - and he's also been a winner on the high veldt on the Sunshine Tour.

The South African has played Muthaiga twice. He opened with a 66 and closed with a 65 when T25 on debut and he was T42 last year.

His DP World Tour altitude form is strong. 

In late 2022 he thrashed a 63 on his way to sitting second at halfway in the Joburg Open at Houghton and he carded a third round 64 when T33 high up in the Californian mountains at Tahoe Mountain.

He was also eighth at Crans last summer.

His putting was hot before Christmas and he excelled with approach work in Dubai and Bahrain. Marry the two and he can contend.

Extra Bet: Ryan Van Velzen 1pt each-way @ 150/1

The young South African Ran Van Velzen was T11 in this event last year when sitting second after 18 holes and third after 54 and he's so often enjoyed conditions similar to this week that he's easy to add at a big price.

At altitude, he's got a raft of top three finishes, including wins at Euphoria, Pretoria and Maccauvlei on the high veldt at Sunshine Tour level.

On that circuit he also has top fives finishes at the likes of Royal Harare and Lusaka - traditional and old-time colonial spots much like Muthaiga.

And he even has experience of contending on the DP World Tour.

In addition to that effort at Muthaiga last year he was second in the South African Open at Blair Atholl (more altitude) when the pre-final round leader and he was second in the Alfred Dunhill Championship last November (when putting superbly).

For what it's worth, he also recorded his best DP World Tour Approach stats last time out in Qatar.

Now read Steve Rawlings on the Kenya Open.

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