One day, Edwin Mudanyi hopes to meet Justin Rose but until then he continues to draw inspiration from afar.
On Thursday, while he helps fly the flag for his country on home soil at the DP World Tour’s Magical Kenya Open presented by absa, his Major Champion-winning hero will later that day tee it up almost 10,000 miles away at the Genesis Invitational on the PGA TOUR.
Their careers as professional golfers might be a world apart but for Mudanyi it is not just Rose’s achievements that resonate, but the example he sets away from competition.
"Somebody that I always look up to in terms of life and work ethics in what I do as a golfer is Justin Rose,” he said.
"He is somebody I always look forward to meeting one day in life...
“Justin Rose is one of those Tour players whose work ethic I have always loved, and all the foundations that he helps, running the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation.
"My greatest motivation has always been around what he stands for in the game and what he stands for in terms of the community through golf.”
Mudanyi hails from Eldoret, in western Kenya, and for as long as he can remember, golf has played a central role in his life.
Today, he combines opportunities to compete as a professional with running the junior programme at Karen Country Club – host venue for this week’s 57th Magical Kenya Open.
One of 16 Kenyan players set to tee it up as the DP World Tour’s International Swing returns to Africa, Mudanyi will be among the home hopes sharing in the spotlight alongside world-known stars this week.
“The Magical Kenya Open comes around with a lot of expectation, because for us it is our national open,” he said.
“As professional golfers, we’re always looking for it as a [confirmation] for how we have improved in our games.
“Playing with the players that we normally see week in, week out on TV, means a lot.”
With their father a chef at Eldoret Golf Club, Edwin and his older brother, Nelson, grew up around the sport by watching others go about their rounds, but it wasn’t long before they were finding ways to play themselves.
Their passion for the sport grew as their talent progressed, with Nelson going on to land a scholarship to study in the United States at the Golf Academy of America in Florida, before turning professional and playing the Sunshine Tour and Big Easy Tour for five years.
"My journey [in golf] has always been following the footsteps of my brother," said Edwin.
"I looked up to him, wanting some of the things he attained. The game meant so much to us as a family through his opportunities."
As the Magical Kenya Open returns to Karen Country Club for the first time since 2021, someone who will be watching on with great interest is Nelson, now a PGA-certified professional and Head Professional at nearby Muthaiga Golf Club.
Edwin owes much to his brother, who helped coach him during a “breakthrough” year from 2014 to 2015 – making his way into the Kenya national set-up - and to this day serves as his swing coach.
The highlight of his amateur career would come in 2017, when he ended the year as the top-ranked Kenyan after winning the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship.
"It was a special year for me, it gave me the hope that I could join the professional ranks," he said.
In 2019, he turned professional, but the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic a year later meant opportunities to compete were restricted.
Since then, playing local events across west Africa is where his focus has lied, winning a host of titles.
He came close to making a big step forward last year, reaching the Sunshine Tour's Final Stage of Qualifying School for the first time.
But he struggled, missing the third-round cut, to fall short in his bid to earn playing privileges - describing the blow as "going back to the drawing board".
However, a major boost came with the launch of the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) Equator Tour, a structured 12-leg series offering Kenyan professionals regular competition and a pathway into the Magical Kenya Open.
Having come through a 72-hole qualifying event last year to earn his place, he is feeling a greater sense of belonging this time around.
“Being in the top ten in the country and having qualified through our Order of Merit, shows I'm fully justified to be in this stage and compete against these guys,” he said.
“It's just the difference of experience between us, that they play these events regularly. But game wise, I'm very hopeful of giving myself a chance [of competing well].”
The more regular competition is something Mudanyi hopes will bridge the gap between local players and the international field.
So, what would represent a good week for him?
“My hopes are keeping a clean card of four under par or better in either of the [first two] rounds and to make it through the cut and give it a run over the weekend," he replied.
While he has the upper hand on pretty much the entirety of the field, Mudanyi is aware that the task won't be easy.
In changes made to the course layout since 2021, yardage has been added to the first and tenth, while the third - which played as the 12th five years ago - is to be played as a par four rather than a par five.
"We've also had a few trees coming off that were in line of play [back in 2021]," he said.
"So, most of the par threes and the par fives, where trees were present, are now very much approachable.
"Having that familiarity of those changes over the last year will be a key to my game [and chances]."
Beyond scores, his presence symbolises something bigger: a homegrown professional competing on the world stage, inspiring the next generation watching from the fairways of Karen.
As someone who is involved in nurturing the development of those aspiring players, Mudanyi believes Kenya’s golfing future is secure.
"We've got a very vibrant junior golf foundation in the country," he said.
"I think in the last three years we've got almost a thousand junior golfers from the age of five joining the game and through the support of The R&A we have the high-performance programme that our elite juniors have been being taken through.
"The growth has been immense.
"I think that's why last year the corporate world saw it fit to now come and support the professional ranks so that these juniors and the elite amateurs that we have in the country can look up to the opportunity of making a living out of the game of golf.
"I feel like Kenya is in very safe hands with the future in the terms of golf as a sport in this country."
And so, while Rose competes thousands of miles away on one of golf’s grand stages, Mudanyi will walk the fairways of Karen carrying his own purpose.
Because for Mudanyi, this week is about showing the next generation watching from outside the ropes that dreams in Kenyan golf are within reach.
