Kenya Ladies Open set for November

This year’s Magical Kenya Ladies Open, a Ladies European Tour event (LET), will come at least a month earlier than the inaugural event held last December at the magnificent Vipingo Ridge’s Baobab Course.

“The management at Vipingo Ridge and event organizers U.COM Event GmbH, in partnership with the Ladies European Tour, are delighted to announce brand new dates for this year’s Magical Kenya Ladies Open. The tournament will take place from November 12 to 15, at Vipingo Ridge’s Baobab Course -the only PGA accredited golf course on the African continent,’’ said a statement from the Ladies European tour.

The 2020 schedule with almost 18 million Euro record-breaking prize fund will feature 24 tournaments including 15 in Europe, seven new events and seven more tournament with purses of more than 500,000 Euro. Of those, the biggest ever full field prize fund of $1 million will be hosted in Saudi Arabia, while the mixed event with the European Tour in Sweden will have a prize fund of 1.5 million Euro.

The total prize fund this year is 4.5 million Euro more than last year’s series. On the other hand, the season’s grand finale unlike last year where the Magical Kenya Ladies Open wound up the season, the 2020 tour will close with the “Race to Costa del Sol’’ in Spain from November 26 to 29.

Back home, the hugely successful Magical Kenya Ladies Open, that made its debut in 2019 remains the only professional women’s golf tournament in East Africa. It offers players the opportunity to visit Kenya on the Ladies European Tour. Golfers from all over the world will travel to the coast and take on the challenging par-72 course, attempting to take the crown from 2019’s winner Esther Henseleit from Germany who, in an exciting twist to the leaderboard last December, beat three-day frontrunner Julia Engström in the final round.

Speaking at the prize-giving ceremony, Kenya’s First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta, spoke of the great potential Vipingo Ridge has in hosting more global tournaments and how she hoped the Magical Kenya Ladies Open would motivate young girls in the game of golf and sport in general.

Before then, Sports, Culture and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed had addressed the professionals in a statement that mirrored the First Lady’s sentiments.

“lt is our hope and expectation that your participation will inspire other women to take up the sport and awaken their potential to play professionally. We warmly welcome all the players to Kenya and wish everyone a rewarding experience in our magical country.”

Broadcasted live across the globe to millions of viewers, the 2019 event showcased Kenya as a unique golfing and holiday destination and elevated the country as a viable player on the world’s sporting stage.

The unique tournament on the shores of the Indian Ocean was lauded by many as an incredible success for players, partners and spectators alike. In 2020, it is hoped that this legacy will continue and Kenyans across the nation, both men and women, will embrace the game.