Shropshire's Ashley Chesters finishes tied seventh at Kenya Open

It was the Hawkstone Park ace’s best finish since he tied for third at the Joburg Open in November 2021.

And he secured it with an eagle on the par-five final hole for a fourth round of five-under-par – taking him to 13-under overall, five shots behind winner Jorge Campillo. The Spaniard savoured a ‘special’ moment after he followed in the footsteps of Seve Ballesteros by winning at Muthaiga GC in Nairobi.

Campillo’s five-under-par final round of 66 saw him hold off Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura by two strokes to end a three-year wait for a third DP World Tour title.

He made four birdies in five holes on the front nine to take control of the tournament, having led by one stroke overnight thanks to a run of four in a row to close his third round.

Another birdie at the 10th was followed immediately by Campillo’s only bogey of his final 45 holes, but a fine birdie at 17 gave him a three-shot lead and a comfortable path down the last for par.

Ballesteros won the event in 1978, with Shropshire’s Ian Woosnam, Christy O’Connor and Trevor Immelman also among the past winners.

Campillo said: “It’s always nice to win a golf tournament, but if you have a name on the trophy with Seve it’s more special for a Spaniard. It’s hard to put my name with those names. With where I’m from, the little town I’m from, I’m very proud.”

Kawamura, like Campillo, shot 66 on Sunday but was unable to build on the momentum of three straight birdies on the front nine to apply pressure.