NAIROBI, Kenya, January 28 – The Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Pro-Am Golf Tour is set to go regional next year with tournaments scheduled for Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.
Tournament director Elisha Kasuku said on Wednesday that the seven event tour will be used as a breeding ground for players who will be selected to represent Kenya in international tournaments and also strengthen golf within the region.
“We hope to have a sanctioned event to be played in Kenya,” said Kasuku during the tour’s launch.
“We have used the order of merit to rank our professionals in order to represent our country in the Kenya Open and other international tournaments,” he added.
Some of the players who received the order of merit last season are currently taking part in the Nashua Masters in Durban, South Africa.
They include Anil Shah, last year’s Pro Am winner Dismas Indiza, Charan Thethy, Simin Ngige and David Wakhu.
Title sponsors KCB have increased their sponsorship package of this year’s tournament to Sh3.5 million up from Sh2 million in 2008.
“The first six events will have a prize fund of Sh400,000 each to be won by the top eight golfers in each competition,” said KCB Group chief executive Martin Oduor-Otieno.
“The grand finale will be held at Nyali Golf Club in Mombasa will enjoy a prize fund of Sh1.1 million and is expected to attract golfers from across the region,” he added.
Otieno also said that they are looking into the possibility of the tour joining up with the Sun Shine Tour of South Africa to promote Kenya as a destination for sports tourism.
The first leg of the seven event tour which is modelled on the European and United States Professional Golfer Association (PGA) tours will be held at Muthaiga Golf Club on February 11-14.
The tour will also go through Sigona, Nyanza, Royal Nairobi, Nakuru, and Limuru Golf Clubs.
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