Challenge Tour boss: Why are Kenyan pros not improving?

Royal Nairobi Golf Club's Erick Ooko tees off from 9th tee during the second round of the 2018 Barclays Kenya Open golf tournament on March 23, 2018 at Muthaiga Golf Club. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

What you need to know:

  • Despite the Barclays Kenya Open growing in statue to be the richest event in the Challenge Tour this year, Soultrait is disturbed that Kenya's professional golfers are not growing in the game.
  • Soultrait, who started gracing the Kenya Open in the early 1980s, said he is finding it difficult understand why despite huge support from the corporates, the game is still lagging behind locally.

European Challenge Tour director Alain de Soultrait is not a happy man.

Despite the Barclays Kenya Open growing in statue to be the richest event in the Challenge Tour this year, Soultrait is disturbed that Kenya's professional golfers are not growing in the game.

Soultrait, who started gracing the Kenya Open in the early 1980s, said he is finding it difficult understand why despite huge support from the corporates, the game is still lagging behind locally.

“We are always having Dismas Indiza, Jacob Okello and Greg Snow at Kenya Open and it’s difficult for me to understand why Kenyan golf isn’t producing new blood when other countries like South Africa are on the rise,” said Soultrait.

However, Soultrait noted Kenyan golfers will need more quality events throughout the year if they hope to progress or compete effectively with their rivals from mainly Europe and Southern Africa.

“They will need to travel for them to progress but that is where they will need support from the corporate world,” said Soultrait. “That support comes through good results from the golfers.”

Soultrait was delighted to note Kenya Open's growth over the years ,from a mere international event to join the European Challenge Tour in 1991.

“We only used to have a single tent but we now have many including a Kenya Open village,” said Soultrait, who hailed the government for coming in strongly to support the event. “That is the kind of support I also want to see local game get to develop it.”

Soultrait said Okello heroics in 1998, which almost saw him make history by becoming the first Kenyan in history to win the event before losing in the play-off to Ricardo Gonzalez, should have spurred development of the game in the country.

“I spoke to Gonzalez to come over for Kenya Open but unfortunately the Argentine didn’t have time,” said Soultrait.

He said that even though Kenya has the great ambition of elevating the event into the main Tour event, the organisers will will need to improve on the facilities including the course and the prize fund.

“We shall need a better course with good parking that is easy for the access during live television coverage. The budget and prize money fund are set to double,” said Soultrait.