Kibugu struggles as Jarvis and Ayora take charge at Magical Kenya Open

Kenya's only hope at the Magical Kenya Open, Njoroge Kibugu (22), faced a challenging third round at Karen Country Club as the weekend spotlight shifted to a rising generation of young talent.

Kibugu, carrying the hopes of a home crowd eager to see a Kenyan contender in the mix, struggled to find rhythm early, carding a 74 (+3).

A tricky front nine left him chasing the round, and although he steadied himself on the back nine, a few costly bogeys, including one at the 15th, prevented him from moving up the leaderboard. He now heads into Sunday tied 67th at one under par, determined to finish strongly and show that Kenya's young golfers can compete on the international stage.

Meanwhile, the leaderboard belonged to youth. Spain's Angel Ayora (21) produced one of the standout rounds, firing a 64 (-7) with an early eagle and a string of back nine birdies. Reflecting on playing alongside more experienced competitors.

Ayora said: "I think I have to learn a lot from the oldest players. But yes, an amazing generation coming. We are a lot of young guys playing good, so I hope we're going to do good in the next three, five years."

South Africa's Casey Jarvis (22) matched him at the top with a composed 66 (-5), showing poise despite hot conditions and slower greens.

On his plan for Sunday, Jarvis added that: "It was pretty hot out there but the plan tomorrow is just to stick to the game plan of being very aggressive and see what happens."

With Kibugu trying to rally for a strong finish at home, Sunday promises a thriller between Ayora and Jarvis at the top, with both eager to claim their first breakthrough win, while Kenya's own rising talent looks to leave his mark in front of a supportive home crowd.