Safaricom has today announced a sponsorship of KES 7 million towards the KCB Karen Masters Golf Tournament, scheduled for 17th-19th March 2017 at the Karen Country Club.
Safaricom will be the official telecommunications sponsor, and will also provide a fully kitted media centre and wireless connectivity to the secretariat and clubhouse for the duration of the tournament.
Speaking during the cheque handover Steve Okeyo – Director of Regional sales and Operations at Safaricom noted that the company is keen on partnerships that drive transformation, with sports being a key area of focus for the company.
“Sports sponsorship remains an important area for us because it is transforming the lives of millions of Kenyans. Golf remains a sport that is yet to be fully appreciated in Kenya and our participation in this event is in the hope that we can encourage more young people to develop as much interest in golf as they have in other sports such as football and rugby,” said Mr. Okeyo.
The event is part of Karen Country Club’s 80th anniversary celebrations. It will bring together 68 local and international professional golfers, including 22 Kenyans, who will take part in the 36-hole competition over a three-day period.
“We decided to hold the inaugural Karen Masters Tournament to mark our 80th anniversary, as we seek to position Kenya as a great golfing destination while at the same time supporting local professional golfers,” said Andy Watt, Karen Masters Tournament Director.
“We expect a great crop of players to show up for the tournament next weekend and look forward to delivering an exciting experience for golfers from Kenya and beyond,” he said.
The pros will vie for a prize purse of USD 15,000 where the top 10 players will win cash prizes ranging from USD 4,000 for the winner to USD 200 for the 10th placed player. In the event that no Kenyan pro makes it to the top 10, they will be entered into a separate prizing category where the top three Kenyan players will take home USD 300, 200 and 100 for positions one, two and three respectively.
There will also be a Pro-Am tournament on Friday 17th March, where visiting players, some of whom are drawn from the European Challenge Tour, will be joining club members and guests of the sponsors.
