Uhuru Kenyatta calls for bigger tourney at Muthaiga

What you need to know:

  • The Kenya Open Golf tournament ended on Sunday at Muthaiga Club, with President Uhuru Kenyatta urging organisers to increase the sponsorship package to Sh100 million.
  • If it comes to pass, it will be good news as it will improve the status of the tournament, probaly to the level of a European Tour series event.
  • Already, the tournament is the oldest event in the European Challenge Tour series, having became part of the tour in 1991.

The Kenya Open Golf tournament ended on Sunday at Muthaiga Club, with President Uhuru Kenyatta urging organisers to increase the sponsorship package to Sh100 million.

If it comes to pass, it will be good news as it will improve the status of the tournament, probaly to the level of a European Tour series event.

Already, the tournament is the oldest event in the European Challenge Tour series, having became part of the tour in 1991. It has since then produced players who have gone on to become stars in both the European Tour and PGA Tour of America.

EUROPEAN TOUR STATUS

If the tournament acquires European Tour status, it will attract revenue to organisers through TV rights and advertising.

The European Tour Productions takes care of all TV and broadcasting arrangements in European Tour events including broadcasting rights to foreign media organisations, and organisers get a share of the revenue.

The Kenya Open is certainly due for promotion to the next level, but that means a fresh and long-term agreement with titles sponsors Barclays Bank of Kenya which extended its deal with the Kenya Open Golf Limited for another three years to the tune of Sh90 million with affect from last year.

The event is bound to bring some of the world’s top professionals to Kenya as well as many other visitors which is good for tourism.

The bad news however is that, once the Kenya Open becomes a European Tour event, it will knock out the Challenge Tour players who are not exempted to play in the main tour, as well as local professionals who are neither members of the European Tour nor the Challenge.

Incidentally, Kenyan pros play in the Kenya Open as national invitees just like their colleagues from the other African countries.