Aurora’s Davis Bryant posts career-best finish on DP World Tour after sharing lead on final 9 at Kenya Open
By Gary Baines – 2/22/2026
For Davis Bryant, it was very nearly the “Magical” Kenya Open in a real sense.
Bryant, the 26-year-old Aurora resident looking for his first DP World Tour victory, certainly made a run at it on Sunday, but ultimately finished solo second in Nairobi — which was still his career-best on the former European Tour. The showing was worth about $300,000.
Instead of Bryant, it was 22-year-old South African Casey Jarvis claiming DPWT victory No. 1 as an eagle on the par-4 12th hole gave him the lead for good, though Bryant battled back to within a stroke down the stretch. Jarvis put it away with a birdie-eagle finish on 17 (putt from 9 feet) and 18 (16 feet) after the second of two lightning delays that totaled 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Bryant closed with a bogey-free 6-under-par 64 on Sunday, leaving him at 22 under overall, three back of Jarvis, who shot a 62 in the final round. The Coloradan made just one bogey in his final 67 holes.
“I am obviously super pleased with my result this week and gave it a great run down the stretch,” Bryant told Colorado Golf Journal via text on Sunday. “Really proud of how I battled some nerves as I hadn’t been in this position in a while. To play in front of the Kenyan fans that love their golf and the final-group atmosphere did not disappoint.”
Sunday was another strong finish in the early portion of the 2025-26 DP World Tour season for Bryant, a graduate of Eaglecrest High School and Colorado State University. In six starts this season, he owns three top-15 finishes. That includes a 12th-place showing in the Crown Australian Open, where he finished one ahead of Masters champion Rory McIlroy.
“This is a great start to the season and I’m thrilled to qualify for next week’s South African Open in Cape Town,” Bryant said. I’m “excited for what’s to come!”
Last season as a DP World Tour rookie, Bryant made 10 cuts in 18 events, with two top-10s, including a fourth place at the BMW International Open.
Bryant’s biggest victory to date remains the 2024 Inspirato Colorado Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, his home course.
Speaking of which, Bryant should have felt comfortable in at least one respect at the Kenya Open as Karen Country Club in Nairobi is situated at over 6,000 feet elevation, not dissimilar to the mile high altitude of the Denver area.
Davis Bryant made just one bogey in his final 67 holes in Kenya.
Bryant, who trailed by one going into the final round after scores of 67-63-64, stayed on Jarvis’ heels with three straight birdies on the front nine on Sunday (holes 5-7). And he moved into a tie for the lead with an 18-foot birdie on No. 11.
But Jarvis pulled ahead by two with a 30-foot eagle up over a ridge on the 336-yard 12th hole, where he drove the green. Bryant parred there after his tee shot strayed left, where a tree sat near the line between his ball and the cup for his second shot. Ultimately, he needed a 4-foot putt to save par there.
Just after the final group completed that 12th hole, play was suspended due to lightning in the area — for roughly 70 minutes.
After the resumption of play, Jarvis went up by three with a 6-foot birdie on 13, where Bryant flew the green with a wedge from the fairway but holed an 8-footer for par.
On 14, Bryant had an opening, with a 10-foot birdie try after Jarvis rammed his first putt 7 feet by. But Bryant missed and Jarvis made, so two pars left the Coloradan three back.
But the former CSU golfer did pick up a shot on 15, where both he and Jarvis were in trouble off the tee. Bryant had to pitch out from under a bush, but from 162 yards hit it to 5 feet and saved his par, while Jarvis couldn’t convert on his 20-foot par try.
Bryant has three top-15 finishes on the DP World Tour this season.
And the former CGA Player of the Year cut the deficit to one on 16 with his third par-3 birdie of the day. This one also came from 5 feet — while Jarvis left his 25-foot birdie attempt just short, albeit right on line.
But after the last group hit its tee shots on 17, lightning in the area led to another delay, this time for 1 hour and 40 minutes. In his first shot after the resumption, Bryant left his approach on the par-4 in the front right bunker, while Jarvis put his ball 9 feet from the cup and made his birdie. Bryant got up and down for par, draining a 4-footer, to fall two back with one hole to play.
On the par-5 18th, Jarvis closed things out with his 16-foot eagle, while Bryant got up and down from the fringe for birdie to end up three behind.
It was a “fun battle and that’s why you practice — to put yourself in those positions and moments,” Bryant said. “It’s pretty cool.”
Bryant was trying to become one of several players with strong Colorado ties to win a tournament in the 21st century on what is now the DP World Tour. Former University of Colorado golfer Yannik Paul prevailed at the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open, fellow former Buff Matt Zions at the 2011 Saint-Omer Open, and Kent Denver graduate Kevin Stadler at the 2006 Johnnie Walker Classic.
Bryant won on just about every level of amateur golf while growing up in Colorado. He claimed a state high school title, four state junior majors and a CGA Amateur, plus recorded an individual victory in a college tournament and prevailed in two Southwestern Amateurs before his professional successes of the last couple of years.
For the last two straight years, Bryant has earned substantial DP World Tour status with top-10 finishes in the final stage of Q-school.
As was noted on the Golf Channel telecast during one of the delays on Sunday, both of Bryant’s parents have long worked at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club — Matt as the PGA general manager and Julie as the Colorado Open championships tournament director, the COO of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation and the executive director of the First Tee GVR.
Davis Bryant is ranked No. 289 in the world, but figures to make considerable headway with the performance in Kenya.
For all the scores from the Kenya Open, CLICK HERE.
Colorado Golf Journal 