What awaits the Kenya Open winner at Karen next week
What you need to know:
- Top 70 golfers will make the cut after second day
- European Tour tournament will have a total prize fund of Sh123m, a big incentive for the competitors
Unlike the Safari Tour tournament whose overall winner took home Sh105,000 or more in legs which were offering more than Sh1 million, the Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship’s prize money is a great incentive for local pros.
Courtesy of great sponsorship from the Government, there will again be a prize fund of Euros 1.1 million (approximately Sh123 million), with the overall winner taking home Euros 183,330 (about Sh20.5 million). The second-placed player will take home Euros 122,220 (Sh13.6 million), the equivalent of the total prize fund for 13 Safari Tour events!
Incidentally, the Kenya Open Golf Limited has increased the minimum prize money for the 2020/2021 Safari Tour series to Sh1.5 million per event in the series, with the intention of having every event offering at least three million in the future.
Should a Kenyan finish third next week at Karen, he will take home a cool Sh7.7 million!
Meanwhile, with the prize money being shared among the top 70 players who will make the cut on Friday February 14, even the 70th-placed player will still go home smiling with Sh224,000 for a four-day job.
The top-placed Kenyan player at last year’s tournament was Simon Ngige from Thika Sports Club who finished tied in 25th place. He earned Euros 10,615 (Sh1.2 million) while the lowest-ranked Kenyan player, Justas Madoya, who was tied in 72nd place, received Sh188,000. These are some of the benefits of having the Kenya Open as part of the European Tour series.
Some of the local players who qualified from the Safari Tour have not only played in the Open, then a challenge tour event, but managed to finish in good positions. In the 2014, Greg Snow fought his way to a 10th place finish where he won Sh465,000, while others who have managed a top 10 finish include the 50-year-old Dismas Indiza in 2008 who also took home over Sh300,000.
SPONSORED PLAYERS
Some of the players, particularly those under the sponsorship of Absa, have been promised some good bonuses. For instance, they will be paid Sh250,000 for making the cut, and Sh500,000 for a top 20 finish.
Commenting on the prospects for Kenyan pros winning the tournament, Kenya Open Golf Limited Tournament Director Patrick Obath said: “We expect that, with the improvement in performance through the last two seasons, our local pros will first of all challenge for a place in the top 70 by making the cut after round two. It is my expectation that, this year, we shall have more pros challenging for top slots; which in turn will translate into better winnings for them.”
During last year’s Magical Kenya Open prize-giving ceremony, President Uhuru Kenyatta challenged Kenyan pros to challenge for the top prize in subsequent tournaments.
