KCB Golf Tour’s tournament director Elisha Kasuku (left) poses with KCB’s head of business marketing Wanyi Mwaura (center) and PGK chairman Riza Charania during a cheque presentation today.

By FIDEL ONO

This year’s KCB Golf tour has landed a lucrative sponsorship package of Sh 24 million.

The tour will see a total of 45 local professionals take part in it as it visits five venues before of the grand finale.

Order of merit winner, Mumias’ Dismas Indiza will be keen to defend his title, so is Vet Lab’s Brian Njoroge who won last year’s grand finale at Nyali. They will, however, receive stiff competition from past winners like Simon Ngige, Anil Shah and a host of newly turned professional players including Ken Mabele of Airforce Club.

“This year we have reinvigorated KCB Golf Tour series by developing a model that will see our professional golfers tour the regions’ fairways and fly the KCB flag higher. As part of improving this tour, the top three golfers will be fully sponsored by KCB to play during the Sunshine Tour in South Africa later in the year,” said Wanyi Mwaura, the head of business marketing at KCB, during the tour’s launch today.

She added: “It is our hope that this incentive will make this tour more competitive and improve the profile for this event, therefore, I would like to encourage all professionals to go out there have fun and sink in some golf balls.”

The tour which is celebrating it’s eighth anniversary will tee off at the newly opened Thika Greens Golf Resort on May 16 and 17, where participants will be battling for a share of the Sh500, 000 prize money available.

The second leg will be held at the par 72 Royal Nairobi Golf Club between July 8 and 11, where the prize money is Sh1million and from Royal action will move to the Nyaza Golf Club on August 15-16 where the prize money will be Sh500, 000.

Nyali Golf and Country Club, the traditional host of the tour’s grand finale, will this year not host the climax, but will play host to the final leg of the tour between September 23 and 26 where the prize money is a lucrative Sh3 million.

This year, the finale will for the first time be held at the Great Rift Country Club between November 14 and 15 and the prize money for the event is Sh500, 000, with a bonus of Sh200, 000.

“This year, KCB is partnering with Professional Golfers of Kenya with a sponsorship package of Sh24 million. This money will go towards supporting the entire series, prize money for the pros and also cater for the administrative costs for the entire five-legged series across the country,” said Mwaura.

PGK chairman Riz Charania lauded the gesture and noted that it would go a long way in promoting the sport especially in the level of the professionals. air max 95 air max 95

Robinson Owiti.

By KGG REPORTER

IMMEDIATE former captain of the golf national team Robinson Owiti is urging Kenya Golf Union (KGU) officials to resign for failing to run the union properly.

Owiti who has been at logger heads with the union chiefs in different occasions, having questioned the criteria the union used to pick the national team for the Africa Zone VI Championships said it was high time the union’s Vice Chairman Peter Warui who was the head of delegation when the national team travelled to South Africa for the championship and team manager Andrew Chelegoi who is KGU’s representative of Western to resign.

“It was embarrassing for one of the team members Tony Omuli to be allowed to drive a golf cart during a practice session at the Denonvale Golf Club in South Africa and he doesn’t have a valid driving licence, which resulted into the player losing control and plunging into a water hazard. The union had to be fined around Sh330,000 (40, 000 rands) for the mishap,” said Owiti.

He added: “Where were the two officials when the accident occurred. They should have been the ones driving the players and ensuring that everything is well in the team.”

Owiti also said Warui being the tournament director for the Golf Of The Year Series (GOTY), had failed in his roles and should explain to the amatuers during this weekend’s Winstone Churchil tournament in Thika.

“Union officials should also explain why they received the country flag from the Sports Cabinet Secretary on behalf of the team which was going to represent the country. That has never been witnessed before,” Owiti said. nike air max junior nike air max junior