By AMANDA DAMARIS

Reuben Langat of Kericho has intensified his training ahead of the forthcoming Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup grand finale to be held in the Mediterranean city of Antalya, Turkey in late October.

Langat who emerged the victor during the event’s Nairobi qualifiers at Windsor on July 27 is at the moment putting final touches to his preparation ahead of the grand finale which returns to Belek for the umpteenth time.

He is leaving nothing to chance as he prepares to carry the country’s flag up against several other qualifiers from various Turkish Airlines destinations .

“The essence for now is to improve some facets of my long and short game,” said Langat.

“Over the past few days since qualification I have been working hard to perfect my swing and I’m glad it’s closer to where I want it to be. I’m putting well at the moment which is good for my short game. The game plan for Turkey will be to keep the ball on the fairways and putt well on the greens..”

Mustafa Ozkahraman, the General Manger of Turkish Airlines Nairobi said: “We would like to offer our congratulations to everyone who made the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup qualifier in Nairobi such a special occasion. It was a fantastic tournament and well done to our winner Reuben Langat. They still have so much to play for in Antalya but everyone else will be looking forward to see him come back with the coveted trophy,. As Turkish Airlines we are committed towards golf tourism promotion which is a major global industry. We are proud to be associated with the Turkish Airlines Open which is a round of the European Tour and the Turkish Airlines Challenge which is a challenge tour event.”

The sixth staging of the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Amateur series -one of the the globe’s biggest corporate amateur tournament -touched down for the first time in Nairobi last year on July 27.

The second edition saw Langat fire 40 stableford points to beat home golfer Ravi Gandhi and Zamin Nasser to second and third respectively on countback at the Windsor course on July 27.

“In fact the win came as a pleasant surprise to me because all I knew when I played 40 I  thought the winner would be in a range of 42 to 44. I would like to be associated with the Turkish Airlines anytime, any day for their unswerving support in golf tourism.”

Last year, Moses Kiragu won the Kenyan qualifiers at Muthaiga and was ranked 14th with 64 points out of 110 players who traveled from various Turkish Airlines destinations to Antalya.

“It was a very good experience. The exposure was beyond my expectations. I met people from all walks of life.”

The 2017 TAWGC concluded in spectacular style with the flagship Grand Final, hosted at the Titanic Deluxe Golf Hotel, Belek between Saturday 30th October and Wednesday 2nd November.

London’s Luke Eustace was crowned Champion after the two-round Grand Final at Titanic Golf Club, which was a tightly-contested affair with only 3 points separating the top 5. In the final round, the Englishman built on an impressive first round of 40 stableford points with a further 41 points, for a combined total of 73 points to claim the top prize by two points from Cape Town’s Warren Espey (40+39, 79).

The Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Amateur Series became the widest reaching in corporate golf in 2017 with almost 8,000 participants contesting a 100-event Qualifying Series, which took place in 60 countries worldwide.

For the Grand Finale winners, a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in the Pro-Am of the Turkish Airlines Open awaits.  Over previous years, Finalists have partnered among others, Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer, Victor Dubuisson, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and 14-time Major Champion Tiger Woods in the pre-tournament Pro-Am.

 

By DANIELLA APIYO

The Kenya Open Golf Limited (KOGL) has today announced that the Kenya Open Golf Championship has attained a European Tour status and shall, starting next year, join the prestigious global golf series that features international greats such as Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood among others.

The 2019 Kenya Open Golf Championship, which will be held at the Karen Country Club from the 14th to the 17th of March, is expected to draw the interest of top golf talent from across the globe and further boost the country’s sports tourism offering as a result.

While making the announcement, KOGL Chairman, Peter Kanyago, said that the attainment of the European Tour status grants the Kenya Open Golf Championship a larger profile which brings with it greater demands and rewards for all involved.

“Today, I am pleased to announce that the Kenya Open Golf Championship, having been ascertained to attain the requirements to join the European Tour, has officially received the European Tour status and will be part the worldwide golf circuit starting next year. We are delighted to have achieved this milestone as we believe it will propel the Kenya Open Golf Championship to the next level as we embark on this new phase of the tournament,” he said.

Following the milestone, the KOGL has announced a Euros 1.1 Million (Approximately KES 126 Million) prize kitty for the 2019 Kenya Open Golf Championship; double the total prize money from this year’s tournament which marked the championship’s 50th anniversary.

The prize kitty increase also follows the announcement by President Uhuru Kenyatta in March this year that the Government is increasing its commitment towards the tournament.

Remarking on the prize money, Mr. Kanyago said that the increase is as a result of the Government’s support towards next year’s tournament, adding that the move will enhance the profile of the tournament across the region.

“As result of the support by the Government, total prize kitty for the tournament will be doubled from 500,000 Euros to 1.1 Million Euros. As a consequence, we believe that the tournament will attract a higher caliber of top players from across the globe – further raising the profile of the event,” he said.

At the same time, Mr. Kanyago announced that the KOGL, in a bid to prepare local professionals for next year’s tournament, will be hosting a nationwide golf series that will also be used to enhance the growth and development of golf across the country.

“To prepare our local players to cope with the demands of the European Tour, and in line with our strategic objectives, I am delighted to announce that the Kenya Open Golf Limited is launching the Safari Tour – a national wide golf series featuring four-rounds of golf over a period of four days with a prize kitty of Ksh 1 million per event,” he said.

Each Safari Tour occasion will feature a PRO-AM event which will feature host club members, invited elite amateurs and elite juniors. The Tour will also include community outreach programs (including tree planting) and golf development engagements that include golf clinics for school children and juniors in the neighborhood and club members.

“We believe that this series will go a long way in preparing the local pros prepare for the 2019 Kenya Open and enhance their chances of winning the tournament.,” said Mr. Kanyago.

The first Safari Tour event takes place this weekend at the Nyali Golf and Country Club from the 18th to the 22nd of August featuring golf professionals, elite amateurs and elite juniors drawn from across the country.

The series will then move to Vet Lab Sports Club from the 1^st to the 5^th of September then to the Limuru Country Club from the 27^th to the 31^st of October. Action will resume at the Thika Greens Golf Club from the 10^th to the 14^th of November. The series will then break for a month and before resuming at the Karen Country Club from the 15^th to the 19^th of December ahead of the Christmas break. The series will resume from the 12^th to the 16^th of January at the Muthaiga Golf Club before a grand finale in February ahead of the Kenya Open in March.

AT A GLANCE:

Kenya Open Golf Championship 2019

Date (Main event): 14^th to 17^th of March 2019

Date (PRO-AM) Tue 12^th March and Wed 13^th March 2019

Venue: Karen Country Club

Total Prize Money: Euros 1 Million (Over KES 116 Million)

 

Safari Tour Calendar 2018/19:

Event 1 – Nyali Golf & CC – 18 – 22 August

Event 2 – Vet Lab SC – 1 – 5 Sept

Event 3 – Limuru Country Club – 27 – 31 October

Event 4 – Thika Greens- 10 – 14 November

Event 5 – Karen Country Club – 15 – 19 December

Event 6 – Muthaiga Golf Club – 12 – 16 Jan

Event 7 – SAFARI TOUR CLASSIC – FEBRUARY – Venue TBC.

Total Prize Money per event: KES 1 Million.