Golf: Gagli seeks second win in Kenya

(ANSA) - Rome, March 14 - The European Tour is touching down in East Africa for the Magical Kenya Open, a tournament that has reached its 51st edition and will be part of the leading continental circuit for the first time.
    In Nairobi, Italian golfer Lorenzo Gagli on March 14-17 will be defending the title he conquered last year in the Challenge Tour and try to score a double win - an achievement never accomplished by any player since 1991, when the event debuted on the Challenge Tour.
    And Italian players are becoming the absolute protagonists.
    Edoardo Molinari, who will not be in Kenya, won in 2007.
    Instead, Gagli, Renato Paratore, Matteo Manassero, Guido Migliozzi and Filippo Bergamaschi will be competing at the Karen Country club in Nairobi.
    Other contenders for the title are South Africa's Justin Harding (who has just triumphed in the Qatar Masters), George Coetzee and Erik Van Rooyen. Potential protagonists also include India's Shubhankar Sharma (rookie of the year 2018), Chile's Hugo Leon and France's Adrien Saddier and Gregory Havret. Also on the field will be Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, who served as captain of Europe's Ryder Cup winning team in Paris.
    South Korea's Ho-Sung Choi, who has become a celebrity for his extravagant game, will be playing as well.
    Dubbed "Fisherman swing", the 45-year-old player is ready to compete in the top continental circuit after challenging the leading players on the PGA Tour.
    International golf stars who will be taking part in The Players Championship (PGA Tour) - previously won by top players like Seve Ballesteros and Ian Woosnam - will not be in Nairobi.
    And the trophy will include the "Red Jacket" donned by the winner.