The road to the 2020 Magical Kenya Open today got yet another boost as Absa Group Limited, operating in Kenya as Barclays, announced a sponsorship worth 5.2 million for nine Kenyan pros playing in the Safari Tour golf series in the run up to 2020 Magical Kenya Open, presented by Absa.
Earlier this year, Absa announced an investment of KES150 million in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Magical Kenya Open tournament.
This sponsorship will cover the costs of participating in the remaining six legs of the Safari tour series for eight of the top ten pro golfers -according to the current Safari Tour ranking- as well as the youngest pro in the competition.
Announcing the sponsorship at the Green Park golf course at the Great Rift Valley Lodge where the sixth leg of the Safari Tour is ongoing, Barclays Kenya Marketing and Corporate Relations Director Caroline Ndungu said the sponsorship would enable the players to successfully prepare for the Magical Kenya Open scheduled for March next year.
The benefitting pros include the Professional Golfers of Kenya captain C.J Wangai, Eric Ooko, Riz Charania, Simon Ngige, Kopan Timbe, David Wakhu, Jastas Madoya, Mohit Mediratta, and the youngest pro Mathew Wahome. The golfers will don Absa-branded shirts throughout the Safari Tour competition.
“As a brand, we believe in connecting people’s dreams to the resources they need to achieve their aspirations, which is in line with our brand purpose of bringing possibilities to life. Given our long-standing association with the game of golf in this country, we fully recognize the need to support our pros to better prepare for the Open. It is through such partnerships that we can all play a part towards improving the performance of our Kenyan pros, and hopefully get a Kenyan winner in the future,” Ms Ndung’u said.
Further, as part of the sponsorship, Absa announced that it would reward the top five Kenyan pros who make it to the Magical Kenya Open 2020 with a sponsorship of Kshs 250, 000 each.
That’s not all; any the Absa-sponsored Kenyan golfers who make it to the top 20 after the first two rounds in the 2020 MKO will receive an additional reward Kshs 500, 000. Those who make it to the top ten after the final round of the tournament will receive a further token of Kshs 1 million each.
In partnership with the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK), the bank said it is working on a mentorship programme that would psychologically prepare all the Kenyan pro golfers for the main Open.
“As a business, and more so as we transition from Barclays to Absa, we have a strong resolve to be an active force for good in our country and we will therefore continue investing in programmes such as these which encourage our professional players to successfully pursue their dreams”, said Ms. Ndungu.
The Safari Tour will culminate in the 2020 Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship in March. The tournament was elevated to the prestigious European Tour status for the first time this year and is expected to attract more international players and position the country as an attractive investment destination.
After the Naivasha chapter, the Safari Tour will head to Muthaiga Golf Club, Thika Greens, Sigona Golf Club, Uganda Golf Club and finally the Karen Country Club before the main tournament.
