David Wakhu (right) and Samuel Njoroge (left) receive KBL’s pledge of Sh 100, 000 each for making the cut at Kenya Open and Svannah Classic events.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) today feted Railway Golf Club’s Samuel Njoroge and Golf Park’s David Wakhu with Sh 100,000 individual cash rewards for being the only Kenyan players to have made the Cut at the 2021 Magical Kenya Open and the inaugural Kenya Savannah Classic respectively.

However, South Africa’s Daniel Van Tonder was the winner of the Savannah on 21 under, but he had to beat Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond on a play off after they had tied on the 18^th hole.

Samuel Njoroge carded rounds of 72 and 68 on the first two days of the 2021 Magical Kenya Open presented by Johnnie Walker for a total of 2-under par 140 to secure a place in the final two rounds. The cut for the event had been set at 2-under par.

On his part, David Wakhu carded rounds of 66 and 68 on the opening two rounds of the Kenya Savannah Classic, for an impressive total of 8-under par 134; which was well inside the Cut which was set at 4-under par.

During its sponsorship announcement for both the Kenya Open and Savannah Classic, KBL had promised a KES 100,000 cash reward for any Kenyan player who made the cut at both events. This was in addition to the support the organization was given to the Kenyan players to cater for their accommodation needs while they were at the tournaments’ health and safety bubble.

South Africa’s Daniel Van Tonder (right) with his spouse after winning the Savannah Classic today.

Speaking at the Karen Country Club, KBL Senior Brand Manager, Reserve, Catherine Maribei said: “At the beginning of both the Magical Kenya Open and the Kenya Savannah Classic, Johnnie Walker had made a commitment to rewarding any of the Kenyan players who made the cut with an extra KES 100,000 and that is what we are looking at doing today with both Samuel Njoroge and David Wakhu.”

Commenting on the case reward, David Wakhu said: “I would like to thank KBL for supporting all the pros. Without their sponsorship, I do not think we would have managed to cater to the demands of this event as it was too expensive for us. We are just glad that they bailed us out, and request that they continue with the same spirit.”

On his part, Samuel Njoroge said: “I want to thank Johnnie Walker for standing with us for coming in and helping us financially across these two events. We urge them to do similarly support us next year, but importantly, to continue supporting golf in Kenya.”

Samuel Njoroge ended his 2021 Magical Kenya Open campaign with a level-par 284 score, taking home €2,257 (approximately KES 293,000) in prize money. This was his first time to make a cut at a European Tour event, and his debut outing at the Kenya Open as a pro. 

On his part, David Wakhu ended his Kenya Savannah Classic outing with a score of 7-under par 277, banking €3,510.45 (approximately KES 454,000) in prize money. He made history for having posted the lowest-ever score by a Kenyan at a European Tour event in Kenya.

A cardie gives a thumbs up during today’s round of Savannah Classic Golf at Karen Club.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

With the inaugural Kenya Savannah Classic golf championships set to go to the wire on Friday, golf enthusiasts have a chance to enjoy the blow by blow final day action thanks to DSTV Kenya who will bring all the action live from Karen Country Club on their channel 233.

Despite the fact that spectators have been barred from the venue because of the COVID-19 pandemic, lovers will miss nothing in the action packed final day.

South Africa’s Justin Harding is on the brink of securing back-to-back titles after being crowned Kenya Open champion last week as he carried a three shot lead into the final day, but a host of opponents are breathing on his neck and it would be interesting to see if he will be able to resist the challenge.

DStv, which has the exclusive pay television rights, is giving Kenyan golf followers access to watch the inaugural Kenya Savannah Classic event at the comfort of their homes, at their favourite popular joints, or stream live on the DStv App.

While announcing the channel number and bouquet, MultiChoice Kenya Managing Director, Nancy Matimu said: “We are proud that Kenya is hosting this edition of the European Tour for which DStv has the exclusive pay television rights. Our mission is to deliver value to our customers by making great entertainment more accessible. We find and develop the right mix of content and deliver it to Kenyans anytime, anywhere. You can either catch the action from the comfort of your house or anywhere else via the DStv Now app.’’

Since international golfing activities were allowed in mid-2020, all events have been played under strict adherence of the COVID-19 restrictions. Such events are played as closed events with very limited number of players and their caddies allowed.

This is the case with Kenya Savannah Classic. Only the players and their caddies and a limited number of officials all of whom must be in the bubble will be allowed at Karen, hence most of the Kenyan golf following can only rely on the live screening of the matches. “We want to assure Kenyan golf followers that they do not have to worry about not being at Karen as we will transmit to them wherever they will be’’ added Nancy.