Inaugural KCB Karen Masters tourney receives Ksh7m boost

The KCB Karen Masters golf tournament scheduled for March 17-19 has received a Ksh7m sponsorship boost from telecommunications firm Safaricom.

Safaricom announced on Thursday they will also will provide a fully kitted media centre and wireless connectivity over the duration of the tournament that has attracted 40 professional golfers drawn from the European Challenge tour.

A total of 46 PGA Pros and 22 local pros having signed up for the competition that will be held at the Karen Country Club, a first-of-its-kind in Kenya with sponsorship commitments targeting to  promote several other tournaments and club nights in golf courses across the country.

Speaking during the cheque handover Steve Okeyo – Director of Regional Sales and Operations at Safaricom – noted that the company is keen on partnerships that drive transformation, with sports being a key area of focus for the company.

“Sports sponsorship remains an important area for us because it is transforming the lives of millions of Kenyans. Golf remains a sport that is yet to be fully appreciated in Kenya and our participation in this event is in the hope that we can encourage more young people to develop as much interest in golf as they have in other sports such as football and rugby,” Okeyo said.

The event is part of Karen Country Club’s 80th anniversary celebrations that will bring  a total of 90 competitors who will take part in the 36-hole competition over a three-day period.

“We decided to hold the inaugural Karen Masters Tournament to mark our 80th anniversary, as we seek to position Kenya as a great golfing destination while at the same time supporting local professional golfers.

“We expect a great crop of players to show up for the tournament next weekend and look forward to delivering an exciting experience for golfers from Kenya and beyond,” Karen Masters Tournament Director, Andy Watt stated.

The pros will vie for a prize purse of USD 15,000 where the top 10 players will win cash prizes ranging from USD 4,000 for the winner to USD 200 for the 10th placed player. In the event that no Kenyan pro makes it to the top 10, they will be entered into a separate prizing category where the top three Kenyan players will take home USD 300, 200 and 100 for positions one, two and three respectively.

There will also be a Pro-Am tournament on March 17, where visiting players will be joining club members and guests of the sponsors.