Kenyan and East African players who will be taking part at the 2019 Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa has been named following the successful conclusion of the Safari Tour Golf Series.
A total of 19 players competing on the Safari Tour qualified to play in the tournament; of whom, 12 are Kenyan professional golfers, one is a Ugandan pro golfer and six are Kenyan elite amateurs.
The pros unveiled at a colourful ceremony at the Nairobi National Park on Wednesday this week included Greg Snow, Dismas Indiza, David Opati, Rizwan Charania, David Wakhu, Jacob Okello, Tony Omuli, C.J. Wangai, Nelson Simwa, Simon Ngige, Erick Ooko, Justus Madoya and Uganda’s Philip Kasozi.
The elite amateurs who were unveiled were Daniel Nduva, Samuel Njoroge, Mutahi Kibugu, Edwin Mudanyi, Mike Kisi and Bradley Mogire.
Speaking during the unveiling ceremony, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Hon. Najib Balala said: “As a Ministry, we are proud to unveil the Kenyan Pros and elite amateurs that will represent Kenya at the 2019 Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship which is set to provide exposure to Kenya as a preferred golf tourism destination both on the local and international scene.”
The Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary hailed the prominent role that sports has played in raising Kenya’s global profile as a destination, citing the exploits of individuals such as Eliud Kipchoge who broke the world marathon record at the 2018 Berlin Marathon as a major boost to Kenya’s recognition on the world map.
CS Balala said: “We are committed to leveraging on sports in order to create a stronger brand association between our sports personalities and Kenya as a destination. This is why we are intent on supporting our champions in the fields of athletics, rugby and golf to market Kenya as the preferred sports destination.”
The CS further said that through the Government of Kenya’s KSh. 250 million sponsorship support, the 2019 Magical Kenya Open will prominently position Kenya as a destination to a global audience through live TV broadcasting opportunities during the tournament’s new status as a European Tour event.
“The Magical Kenya brand will receive wide visibility through live coverage by the European Tour (ET) Production Team that will be transmitted to over 490 million homes in more than 150 countries, generating in excess of 2200 global broadcast hours for each event. The live feed will be available to 40 broadcasters around the world including Sky Sports in the UK and The Golf Channel in the U.S. DSTV’s SuperSport are the official broadcasters in Africa.”
The Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary added: “Additionally, Kenya’s golf tourism offering will be on show to golfers and golf fans across the world through the European Tour TV (ETTV), a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week online golf channel that is available in every territory across the entire planet – reaching fans beyond the regular broadcast footprint. This level of exposure is critical to Kenya’s tourism success especially viewed in light of the fact that the global golf travel market is between six and nine million travellers.”
Also speaking at the event, Kenya Open Golf Limited Chairman, Mr. Peter Kanyago said: "We are grateful to the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, and by extension the Kenya Tourism Board, for this support. It is our conviction that through this year's tournament's outreach through the vast live television broadcast, Magical Kenya will be positively profiled across the world. By extension, Kenya's tourism offering will be amplified through the engagement.”
Among the international star golf players expected to participate in the 2019 Magical Kenya Open are Haydn Porteous, immediate former Ryder Cup captain and 15-time European Tour Champion Thomas Bjorn, Ho-sung Choi and Shubhankar Sharma.
