Local pros to use NCBA Series to sharpen claws for Magical Kenya Open

Kenneth Mwige, Director General of the Kenya Vision 2030 makes a ceremonial tee-off during the launch of the 2025 NCBA Golf Series at Railway Golf Club. [Courtesy] The 2025 Magical Kenya Open (MKO) golf championship is slated for next month at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi and local players are frantically looking for various avenues to punch tickets to the global event. Most affected are the local professionals who have been on the lull after their annual qualifying tournament, the Safari Tour Series, went under last season. On Tuesday in Nairobi, the pros got a new lease of life after the launched fifth edition of the NCBA Golf Series opted to rope them in for the first time in the prestigious East African circuit. Also coming on board to grant moral support to the golfers ahead of the MKO is the government wing, the Kenya Vision 2030. "We are happy to be on board the NCBA Golf Series. To us golf is not just a sport, it is a catalyst for national growth," Kenya Vision 2030 Director General, Kenneth Mwige told Standard Sports during the colorful launch. "There is great need for Kenya to leverage of the MKO and the World Rally Championship (WRC), the Safari Rally, which are two premium global events to market the country to the outside world," Mwige underlined. The 2025 NCBA Golf Series will involve 159 events. The circuit will tee-off at the Kenya Railway Golf Club in Nairobi on Wednesday with local pros planning to utilise the regional showpiece to step up training for their MKO qualifiers and preparations. " We have been in limbo since the annual Safari Tour tournament went under, we highly welcome the NCBA Series, we believe it will make us active again ahead of the Kenya Open," Kenya's most decorated golfer Jacob Okello stated. Okello is the only player in the Kenyan history to have ever made it to the MKO final, a lofty feat he achieved in 1998. Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK) Chairman C.J Wangai said the Bank's coming on board to salvage local pros from 'rusting' ahead of the MKO means that professional golf will be on an upward trajectory this season after a terrible 2024 outing. "This inclusion will also help juniors to turn into elite players before they become pros. This series is going to help the current pros to keep focus ahead of their Kenya Open qualifiers slated for the end of this month, which will be presided over by the PGK," Wangai underlined. Robinson Owiti of Vet Lab Sports Club is optimistic the Series will help more Kenyans to make the cut for Open and his sentiments were echoed by the PGK Vice Captain Jeff Kubwa who stated: " This Series is like a dream come true for us, especially after spending a whole year without playing any major tournament. I believe the impact and benefits of this tournament will be felt more in the 2026 season since we anticipate taking part in the Series all throughout this year." The NCBA has sponsored this year's Series, to be staged in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, to a tune of Sh 60 million. "We are excited to launch our 2025 golf activities. This shows our continued commitment to investing and growing the sport in Kenya and beyond as we get to engage with our customers. Our vision is to build talent that can comfortably participate in the global arena and represent countries with pride," NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora said. Gachora outlined the impact of junior golf, pledging the Group's continued support for the budding golfers stating: "I am pleased to highlight the considerable progress we have witnessed over the past few years with junior golfers improving their game as evidenced in their incredible scores. Recently, during our invitational tournament, we had remarkable performances, including one junior golfer achieving an impressive 10-under par score. We believe that the future of golf lies in nurturing young talent. Through this partnership- with the Kenya Golf Union (KGU), the Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) and the PGK- we are investing in junior tournaments, training programs, and mentorship initiatives that will empower the next generation of golfers." The KGU chairman David Ndungu expressed his gratitude on the renewed partnership saying it's an avenue that is taking the game to the next front. "We are delighted to continue with this union. As we all know, the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship presents amateur golfers with a platform to compete at the highest level and we remain thankful for the bank's continued support of the amateur series. This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to nurturing golfing talent and promoting the sport's growth in Kenya and beyond. We look forward to a competitive and exciting season ahead," said Ndungu.

Local pros to use NCBA Series to sharpen claws for Magical Kenya Open

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Local pros to use NCBA Series to sharpen claws for Magical Kenya Open

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