Sunshine Tour sets footprints in Kenya, local players to sharpen claws for MKO

Local golfer Mutahi Kibugu follows his shot during the Magical Kenya Open Day Three of the event at the par 71 Muthaiga Golf Club course on March 12, 2023. [Stafford Ondego, Standard] After Kenya's lackluster performance at the recently concluded 2025 Magical Kenya Open (MKO) golf championship at Muthaiga in Nairobi, the country has started to experience good tidings that will take the sport to the next level. Kenyan golfers now have a reason to smile after the prestigious global golf series, the Sunshine Tour expanded its tentacles to Kenya and East Africa. Dubbed the Sunshine Development Tour-East African Swing, the South African-based championship has set up its footprints in Nairobi to offer professional golfers and elite amateurs - both men and women - a chance to play regular competitive golf tournaments organized in line with Sunshine Tour standards. "This is a significant moment for golf in Africa as we are able to create unrivalled opportunities for professional golfers and the top two amateurs in East Africa. We now have an effective vehicle to unearth the talent on the continent and bring new stars to the game," Sunshine Tour Commissioner, Thomas Abt, told Standard Sports. The Tour has penned a three-year exclusive contract with leading sports marketing agency IMG Kenya Limited that will oversee operations of this brand new mixed, professional development golf tour series in Kenya and East Africa. The East African Swing will be an annual tournament with between 10-15 legs which will offer local players an opportunity to amass Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, thereby creating a genuine and merit-based pathway for the players to qualify for various global championships including punching tickets to the Olympics. Ahead of the Tour, golfers are required to take part in a qualifying event (Q-School) slated for March 30- April 2, 2025 at the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club in Nairobi. The four-day qualifying school contest has a prize money of Sh1 million on offer. "Ordinarily Q-Schools don't offer Prize money, but we made a decision to kick start the Tour with an incentive for the professional golfers," IMG Kenya CEO, Peter Gacheru, underlined. The 'Q-School' is a mandatory prerequisite for earning OWGR points on the East African Swing, and all players hoping to join the tour are requested to do prompt registration. Players completing the four-round qualifier event will be awarded tour cards for the 2025/26 season and the top 10 qualifiers will earn invitations to the Sunshine Tour Final Stage Qualifier in Johannesburg, April 8-11,2025. Gacheru, who reiterated that the prestigious Tour launched will revolutionize professional and elite amateur golf in the region, stated: "We are very pleased to be partnering with The Sunshine Tour of South Africa to bring The Sunshine Development Tour - East African Swing to the region. It is our conviction that this Tour will offer golfers the much-needed platform to play consistent and competitive golf to an ever-increasing standard, whilst providing them with a steady revenue stream. "Our objective is to enhance the quality of professional golf in Kenya and the region, provide elite amateurs and juniors with a development pad, and elevate our profile as a golfing community on the global stage. - "We believe that, through this tour, our local and regional golf landscape will be transformed to produce globally acclaimed golf champions whilst providing a development pipeline for future talent.". He further added: "We look forward to joining hands with other like-minded partners to grow this event to make it bigger, more sustainable, and more impactful for the present and future of golf in the region." While highlighting more about the event, Abt stated: "The Sunshine Tour and Sunshine Ladies Tour have effective global pathways in place that are perfectly suited to the development of talent in Africa. "We look forward to this Tour which is a milestone moment for the game in Africa, and one in which we can play an important role in the growth of sport of golf." Local players ranking in the 2025 Magical Kenya Open Riz Charania +3 Shahswat Harish +4 John Lejirma +4 Greg Snow +5 Edwin Mudanyi +5 Njoroge Kibugu +5 Dismas Indiza +6 Mutahi Kibugu +8 Adel Balala +8 Erick Ooko +9 Simon Njogu +10 David Wakhu +10 Samuel Njoroge +11 Michael Karanga +11 Daniel Nduva +14 Mohit Mediratta +14 William Odek +22 Alfred Nandwa DNF

Sunshine Tour sets footprints in Kenya, local players to sharpen claws for MKO

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Sunshine Tour sets footprints in Kenya, local players to sharpen claws for MKO

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