UP FOR GRABS: Toyota Kenya Chairman Amb. Dennis Awuori revs the brand new Prado to be won in at the Kenya Open Hole-in-One competition.

By CORRESPONDENT

Golfers participating in the forthcoming Barclays Kenya Open Golf tournament will just be a swing away from owning prestigious expensive vehicle scheduled for Karen Golf and Country Club.

A motor vehicle distributor has placed an incentive to entice the golfers to attempt the giant killing feat of the hole out in one of the forthcoming Barclays Kenya Open Golf tournament scheduled for on February 13-17 in Nairobi.

Toyota Kenya has put at stake a Toyota Prado TXL valued at 2.5 million up for grabs for the first professional player to hole out in one at the fifth hole.

During the championship at Muthaiga Golf Club the hole in one was at the 13^th hole.

At Karen, Toyota Kenya was given an option of either the fifth or 13^th hole for the motor firm to settle on the fifth hole which is 200 yards from the pin.

“Our reason for settling for the fifth hole because it is picturesque. The hole and the fairway are new coupled with its water features,” explained Toyota Kenya chairman Ambasadeur Dennis Awori during the presentation of the vehicle to the Kenya Open Golf Limited, yesterday.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the company is sponsoring the championship by putting a vehicle at stake.
The championship which is the oldest championship of the Golfers Association (PGA) European tour, since its inception in 1967 no golfer has managed to achieve the hole out in one to prove as a tall order.
Vehicle distributing firms like CMC Motors and DT Dobie offering attractive car prizes in kind to include prestigious vehicles like Mercedes and Land Rover Discovery but to no avail.
Awori challenged golfers to attempt the challenge as stand to smile all the way to the car’s steering wheel and will forever cherish the moment.
He was optimistic that given the quality of the vehicle golfers will not leg go the opportunity of owning the car.

“I have been able to achieve a hole in one at Karen Golf and Country Club twice in my life at the 16^th hole and from experience am sure that can be achieved,” he said.
On presentation, Awori said the sponsorship was an opportunity for Toyota to be aligned with the biggest golfing event in the East Africa region.
The Kenya Open Golf Limited (KOGL) sponsorship director Dr Samson Ndegwa said they were delighted to welcome Toyota on board and confirm their commitment of staging a world class event.
“We hope to see one of our local players not only leave the Karen Club with the championship, but hopefully he will do so in a brand new Toyota Prado TXL,” said Ndegwa. nike air max nike air max

KCB Group CEO Joshua Oigara (right) presents a 23 million cheque to PGK chairman Riz Charania.

By CORRESPONDENT

KCB Group today renewed its sponsorship package for the KCB Golf Tour 2013 for the eighth consecutive year.

The bank has sponsored the six-leg tournament dubbed “KCB Advantage Banking Golf Tour 2013” to the tune of KShs 23million. The amount will be used to cover the cost of the overall organization of the tournament including its publicity, branding, activations, promotions and amateur prizes. The prize money for the competition will be KShs 6million.

“Today, we have renewed our support to professional golf in Kenya through the launch of the KCB Advantage Banking Golf Tour 2013 which has continued to nurture young talent and contribute to the development of the sport over the last seven years,” KCB Group CEO, Joshua Oigara said.

The championships have improved the standard of golf in the country and provided a competitive tournament environment for both professionals and amateurs added the Chief Executive.

There is an average of 40 professionals from all over the region participating in each KCB Advantage Banking Golf Tour. This demonstrates the growing popularity of the tour in the country and region.

“There will be six tournaments of four rounds each for professionals with amateurs playing in the final round of each event. The inaugural tournament will tee off on January 30^th-February 2^nd 2012 at the par 72 Royal Nairobi Golf Club,” said Oigara. T

The others will be held at the Nyanza Golf Club in April, Muthaiga Golf Club in May, Limuru Golf Club in June, Eldoret Golf Club in July and the Grand Finale will be hosted at Leisure Lodge Golf Club in Mombasa.

The top three amateur winners who must be KCB Advantage Banking customers from each of the six tournaments will battle it out at the Grand Finale in Mombasa.

The tour is named after the bank’s flagship product, KCB Advantage Banking – an exclusive banking service for customers with preference for personalized, convenient and comfortable banking services.

KCB Advantage Banking Golf Tour continues to attract top regional and continental golfers creating networking opportunities for golfers and business partners.

There were more than 22 golfers in last year’s KCB Order of Merit that have qualified for this year’s Kenya Open and are expected to do even better.

During the tour, professionals will undertake free coaching clinics for amateurs at the various clubs to help them improve their game while the organizers will conduct golfing clinics for the media in an effort to create better understanding of the game and enhance participation.

Over the years, the KCB Advantage Banking Golf Tour has grown to become the greatest showcase of golf in the region and continent. It is the Kenya’s premier golf championship modeled along the lines of the European and US PGA tours.

KCB has taken a leading role in the sponsorship of other sporting activities including the KCB Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) in partnership with the Kenya Motor Sports Federation; KCB Football Club, KCB Women Volley Team and the KCB Rugby Team. huarache noir huarache noir