Nine Kenyan pros competing in the Safari Tour golf series have been handed a shot in the arm after Absa Group Limited, operating in Kenya as Barclays, splashed Sh5.2 million in the run up to 2020 Magical Kenya Open.

The sponsorship will cover the costs of participating in the remaining six legs of the Safari Tour series for eight of the top ten pro golfers -according to the current Safari Tour ranking- as well as the youngest pro in the competition Mathew Wahome.

The benefitting pros include the Professional Golfers of Kenya captain C.J Wangai, Eric Ooko, Riz Charania, Simon Ngige, Kopan Timbe, David Wakhu, Jastas Madoya, Mohit Mediratta, and the youngest pro Wahome.

Announcing the sponsorship at the Green Park golf course at the Great Rift Valley Lodge where the sixth leg of the Safari Tour is ongoing, Barclays Kenya Marketing and Corporate Relations Director Caroline Ndungu said the sponsorship would enable the players to successfully prepare for the Magical Kenya Open scheduled for March next year.

"As a brand, we believe in connecting people's dreams to the resources they need to achieve their aspirations, which is in line with our brand purpose of bringing possibilities to life. Given our long-standing association with the game of golf in this country, we fully recognize the need to support our pros to better prepare for the Open," Ndung'u said.

Further, as part of the sponsorship, Absa announced that it would reward the top five Kenyan pros who make it to the Magical Kenya Open 2020 with a sponsorship of Sh250, 000 each.

On top of that, any of the Absa-sponsored Kenyan golfers who make it to the top 20 after the first two rounds in the 2020 Magical Kenya Open, will receive an additional reward Sh500, 000.

Those who make it to the top ten after the final round of the tournament will receive a further token of Sh1 million each.

In partnership with the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK), the bank said it is working on a mentorship programme that would psychologically prepare all the Kenyan pro golfers for the main Open.

The Safari Tour will culminate in the 2020 Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship in March.

The tournament was elevated to the prestigious European Tour status for the first time this year and is expected to attract more international players and position the country as an attractive investment destination.

Earlier this year, Absa announced an investment of Sh150 million in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Magical Kenya Open tournament.

Copyright Capital FM. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source News Service English