Organisers ready for Karen Masters
What you need to know:
- The 72-hole championship, which is being sanctioned for the first time by Africa's top pro Tour - the Sunshine Tour - is set for July 19-22.
With three weeks to tee off, the 2018 KCB Karen Masters, now Kenya's second major professional golf event besides the Kenya Open, arrangements are in full gear, with organisers putting on the final touches on what promises to be a grueling and competitive event.
The 72-hole championship, which is being sanctioned for the first time by Africa's top pro Tour - the Sunshine Tour - is set for July 19-22, with the two Pro-Ams, curtain-raisers aimed at giving some of the local amateurs a chance to play with the pros, expected to take place on July 17 and 18 at the par 72 Karen Country Club.
The event, now affiliated with the Sunshine Tour, a member of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is expected to provide Kenya with a stronger focus on African golf, but at the same time to give Kenya its second top flight event.
It has attracted a field of 156 (including four amateurs) representing 21 countries with a bulk coming from South Africa, which is the home of the Sunshine Tour.
There are however countries like Chile, Brazil, USA, Australia and England which will have players in action. Kenya will be represented by at least 32 professionals and PGK has been involved having run qualifying competitions in a series dubbed “the Road to Karen Masters”.
There will be also about 20 pros from other African countries playing along the Sunshine Tour members, which is set to bring competition to the event.
This year’s prize money for the championship is $150,000 (Sh15 million) with the winner to take home around $23,000(Sh2.3 million). The money is raised mostly from the local corporate base, with KCB as the leading sponsor while others are Safaricom, DT Dobie which will provide a car for an Albertross at the par five-18th, and another one for the Hole-In-One.
