Dismas Indiza in action during a recent local tournament.

By DANIELLA APIYO

Three pro golfers who participated in the recent pre-qualifying rounds of the Sunshine Tour in George and Johannesburg have been entered in the opening leg of KCB Pro-Am Golf Tour which starts at Royal Nairobi on Tuesday, March 10.
The event proper starts on March 11 through to 14th.
Tournament Director Elisha Kasuku while releasing the ProAm draws said a cut-throat competition is anticipated from pros considering that they will be using the event to shape up for the Kenya Open 2015.
Dismas Indiza, CJ Wangai and David Wakhu who graced the prestigious Tour down south courtesy of KCB sponsorship have been included in the draws released yesterday.
Indiza will be the first to set off from the first tee off in the company of Wangai and retired athlete Elisha Kasuku at 8.52am.
“Standards have been set and only the sky’s the limit for Kenyan pros as they prepare for the Open,” said Kasuku.
The first event in the KCB Tour has attracted Kenya’s best professionals including international Greg Snow, Vet Lab’s Brian Njoroge, Windsor pro Rizwan Charania, Nicholas Rokoine of Muthaiga, Thika pro Simon Ngige and MN Ngugi of Railways.
Former GOTY David Opati who has since moved from Golf Park to Windsor and Tony Omuli will also be playing at Royal.
Omuli who played in last year’s GOTY has been playing good golf lately since joining pro ranks.
Wangai said the trip to South Africa has been of immense help to Kenyans.
“We all missed the pre- qualification slots, therefore we won’t be playing in the Jo’Burg Open. But the trip has helped Kenyans grasp vital tactics in the run-up to the Kenya Open,” said Wangai who is also the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) Captain.
Wangai said standards in South Africa are high “but we only need time to get used to this conditions”.
The 2015 KCB Golf Tour will  tee-off culminates with the Grand Finale at the Nyali Golf Course on August 8. KCB has committed a total of Kshs. 25 Million towards organisation of the Tour as well as facilitating for the three golfers who participated in Sunshine Tour.
The five leg series carry a prize fund of Ksh. 5.5million.
The first four tournaments at Royal, Thika, Kisumu and will have a prize fund of Ksh. 1Million each and a further Ksh. 1.5Million for the Grand Finale in Nyali..
During the players send off-cum launch of the 2015 KCB Golf Tour at Kencom House in Nairobi, KCB Chief Business Officer and MD Kenya Samuel Makome said the sponsorship of the three golfers in the Sunshine Tour highlights KCB Corporate Golf tour as a premium tour that promotes top players in the golfing fraternity where they get the opportunity to compete with their peers globally. The KCB Golf Tours have become the cornerstone of developing regional/local professionals ahead of the annual Kenya Open Golf Championship and the PGA Sunshine Tour in South Africa.
The KCB Tour which incorporates professional and amateur golfers is by and large considered a ‘must play’ event as it is the second biggest event in the pecking order after the prestigious Kenya Open.

THE KCB GOLF TOUR 2015:
March 11-14: Royal Nairobi
April 11-14: Thika Sports Club
May 14-16: Nyanza Golf Club
July 2-4: Nakuru Golf Club
August 5-8: Nyali Golf Club

KCB PRO-AM GOLF TOUR 2015
Round One Draw, Tuesday 10th March 2015:
First Tee:
08.52: E. Kasuku, D. Indiza, CJ Wangai
09:00: K. Abuto, J. Lorum, M. Omondi
09:08: R. Ainley, C. Thethy, E. Ooko
09:16: P. Thuo, H. Kutwa, J. Karanja
09:24: J. W. Karanja, N. Rokoine, D. Wakhu
09.32: F. Kamau, Galgalo, J. Kagiri
Tenth Tee:
08:52: F. Matilo, D. Opati, Ali Orende
09:00: S. Cohen, S. Ngige, S. Muthugia
09:08: Anil Shah, Riz Charania, T. Omuli
09:16. Okello, A. Kimani, M. N. Njuguna
09:24: B. Njoroge; G. Snow, G. Gddie
09:32: Ajay Shah, D. Odhiambo, B. Simwa cheap air max 2017 cheap air max 2017

Kenya Open golf Limited Chairman Peter Kanyago (left) and Jeremy Awori, the Managing Director at Barclays Bank of Kenya during the launch of the tournament.

By DANIELLA APIYO

Barclays Bank of Kenya and the Kenya Open Golf Limited has announced that the much anticipated, 48th edition of the Barclays Kenya Open will take place between the 9th and 12th of April at the Karen Country Club. The four-day event tees off with two Pro-Am events at the Karen Country Club sponsored by Barclays Bank and Coca Cola.

There will be 156 players consisting of both local amateurs and professional. This year’s prize money for the championship is €200,000 ( Ksh. 20M ) with the winner receiving €32,000. This money is raised mostly from the local corporate base. Prior to the international tourney, the club will host two ProAm events on 7^th and 8^th.

Kenya will be relying on Richard Ainley, Dimas Indiza, Greg Snow and John Karichu among other top players to lead the team’s challenge for the top spot.

“Our goal is to make this tournament prestigious enough to attract top flight golfers from all over the world. To achieve this, we will have to continually invest in our infrastructure and player development and I am therefore glad to note that tournaments such as the Barclays Golf Circuit are providing our players with a platform to practice their swing year round ahead of big tournaments such as BKO,” said Mr. Kanyago.

Title sponsors, Barclays Bank are now in their 5th of year sponsorship, out of which, 4 have been as lead sponsors. The bank has invested more than Kshs.85 million on both the Pro Am tournament and the Barclays Golf Circuit which is now in its 3rd year. The series is a seven month tournament which provides Kenyan golfers with an opportunity to develop their game ahead of big tournaments such as BKO.

This year’s Barclays Golf Circuit ends in March and by the time it comes to a conclusion, more than 2800 amateur and professional players from 35 clubs countrywide will have taken part, making it the largest golf tourney in the country. The next leg is scheduled for 28^th February 2015 at the Muthaiga Golf Club, prior to the Grand Finale at the end of March. Over 100 junior golfers have expressed interest in competing for a slot at the Golf Circuit finals ahead of the Kenya Open.

“In the last five years we have witnessed a tremendous growth in the sport both in the caliber of players and number of people taking an interest in the sport. Growing interest among the youth is a clear indication that golf has a great future in Kenya,” said Mr. Jeremy Awori, Managing Director Barclays bank of Kenya.

“In fact, we are expecting more than 100 junior golfers to participate in the penultimate leg of the Barclays Golf Series at the Muthaiga Country Club on the 28th of February.”

“We therefore intend to continue supporting the growth of the sport in Kenya by partnering with relevant stakeholders such as the KGU and the Kenya Open Golf Limited to identify areas of collaboration that will help us achieve this goal,” he added.

In the 2014 edition of the Barclays Kenya Open, South Africa’s Jake Roos claimed his European Challenge Tour victory after an intensely dramatic finale. Kenya’s Dismas Indiza and Greg Snow were the best-placed local players, finishing 5th and 6th overall, respectively. cheap nike air max 90 uk cheap nike air max 90 uk