Nation Classic Golf lands sponsorship

Golfers participating in Nation Classic golf event at Vet Lab Sports Club this Saturday, will experience an unique venue during the prize-giving ceremony, as opposed to the usual club-house facilities thanks to Omni Space 3D company which has partnered with the Nation Media Group.

Started in 2017, Omni Space 3D, offers state-of-the art temporary event structures that offer an almost limitless array of event venue spaces customized to meet all needs. On Friday, the company signed a partnership deal to provide the prize-giving dinner structure worth Sh1.3 million at Vet Lab Sports Club.

“We are most delighted joining the Nation Media Group’s golf classic because we believe , it offers us a great opportunity for us as a company to showcase what we are capable of offering,’’ said Charles Kikuvi, Omni Space’s Commercial Director at Nation Centre.

Kikuvi said Omni Space is not new in golfing events, having been contracted to provide facilities during the Kenya Open at Muthaiga early this year and later on at Karen Country Club during the KCB Masters.

“We can provide outside events facility or structure of the customer’s specification to accommodate more than 7,000,"added Kikuvi himself a golfer and who will be among the record field of 296 players who will participate in the event.

He said his company was willing to partner with the Nation Media Group not only in the Nation Classic series but in other events the company will be organizing.

The Nation’s head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Clifford Machoka thanked Omni Space 3 D for coming on board, saying NMG views the partnership as business opportunity beneficial to both sides.

“As a company we have been supporting the game of golf since 1985 because it gives us the opportunity to interact with our clients and get feedback on where we have gone wrong as a company and where we need to improve to serve our customers better,’’ said Machoka who thanked Omni Space 3D and the other corporates which have partnered with the Nation Classic this year.

Meanwhile the nine-hole Kericho Golf Club course will host the 36-hole Tea Fields over the weekend.

However, only 67 players who do not include the country’s leading amateurs were drawn for the event which counts towards the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) series.

Current KAGC leader John Karichu of Limuru who won the Kabete Open on three under par 213, his club-mate Paul Muchangi, Vet Lab’s Mike Kisia and Edwin Mudanyi and Isaac Makokha were not drawn, leaving the Great Rift Valley Resort’s Simon Njogu, Robinson Owiti of Vet Lab, Railway’s John Lejirmah and George Felix as the top contenders in the event whose first round gets underway at 10.30am.

At the par 72 Ruiru Sports Club course, a field of 200 golfers will be battling it out for an array of prizes during the inaugural Muranga Golf Day event.

The well-sponsored tournament brings together renowned professionals and business people from Muranga County as well as golfers from other regions and clubs. 

Ruiru Sports Club captain Peter Mwaura, says the event is one of the 12 major tournaments lined up at the club in the remaining part of the 2018 season, which includes the Mashujaa tournament whose trophy was donated by President Uhuru Kenyatta a few years ago and which is set for October 20. 

“It’s an exciting engagement opportunity that has drawn lots of interest from clubs across the country,” he said. 

Mwaura said the course particularly the fairways are being done to prepare them for full system, it is still in an excellent shape and all set for today’s event.

At Machakos Golf Club, a field of 97 players including newly crowned Uganda Ladies Open Amateur Championship Neema Olomi from Arusha Gymkhana Club in Tanzania will battle it out for some excellent prizes during the Johnnie Walker golf tournament.

This is the first major event since the Chairman’s (Jackson Kitulu) Prize on September 8 where one of the club’s leading golfer Jackson Nzioki carded 38 points to win by a point from lady golfer Jane Kiiti and two points better than Francis Njeru and Fred Kilonzi both of whom are drawn today.

At Kiambu Golf Club, it will be the turn for the Lady Captain’s Prize (Grace Kibe) following last weekend’s Club championship won by Michael Ngene. The lady captain’s Prize is being sponsored by Faiba 4 G, Farmers Choice and friends of the Lady Captain. A field of over 100 players were drawn, though post entries are still being accepted.

Another Lady Captain’s event will be at Sigona while Muthaiga will be the venue of the Isuzu Mu-X golf tournament where Isuzu East Africa Ltd has committed to award an Isuzu mu-X 7-seater SUV for a hole-in-one prize at the 13^th Hole. This is one of four other events to be held across the country by the end of this year.

At Karen Country Club over 200 golfers will battle it out for the top prize in the Chairman’s Prize (Lawrence Kiambi).