Absa Group Sponsors 10 Kenyan Pros for the Safari Tour Golf Series

Absa Group Limited, operating in Kenya as Barclays, has today announced a sponsorship worth Ksh 5.2 million for nine Kenyan pros playing in the Safari Tour golf series in the run up to 2020 Magical Kenya Open, presented by Absa. 

The Safari Tour Golf Series was started in August 2018 to help prepare local and regional pros for the 2019 Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship. A total of 14 Kenyans qualified to play at this year’s Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship.

The series was expanded in 2019 and is now an East African affair. It includes 12 events across four East African countries with seven events being held in Kenya, three in Uganda and one each in Rwanda and Tanzania.

The series kicked off in Nyali in August and then made its way to Uganda for the Uganda Open. The Royal Nairobi Golf Club hosted the third leg of the Tour while the Entebbe Golf Club and Kigali Golf Club hosted the fourth and fifth legs respectively.

The sixth leg is currently underway at the Great Rift Valley Golf Club. The series will then make its way to Muthaiga Golf Club, Thika Greens, Sigona Golf Club, Uganda Golf Club and the Karen Country Club. All legs of the Safari Tour have a minimum total prize fund of $10,000.

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. 

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 Ndung’u said the sponsorship would enable the players to successfully prepare for the Magical Kenya Open scheduled for March next year. 

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 Mathew Wahome. The golfers will don Absa-branded shirts throughout the Safari Tour competition.  

 “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. It is through such partnerships that we can all play a part towards improving the performance of our Kenyan pros, and hopefully get a Kenyan winner in the future,” Ms 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 Ksh 250, 000 each. 

That’s not all; any the Absa sponsored Kenyan golfers who make it to the top 20 after the first two rounds in the 2020 MKO will receive an additional reward Ksh 500,000. Those who make it to the top ten after the final round of the tournament will receive a further token of Ksh 1 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. 

 “As a business, and more so as we transition from Barclays to Absa, we have a strong resolve to be an active force for good in our country and we will therefore continue investing in programmes such as these which encourage our professional players to successfully pursue their dreams”, said Ms. Ndungu.  

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 Ksh 150 million in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Magical Kenya Open tournament.  

Absa Group’s association with sports sponsorship is long-standing with the Group being the official sponsor of one of the continent’s biggest football tournaments – the Absa Premiership League – since 2007. The league has promoted the growth and development of local and international football players and coaches within the league. Absa is also the current sponsor of the Absa Cape Epic, an exhilarating eight-day off-road mountain bike stage race that takes place annually in South Africa’s Western Cape Province.