The Sunshine Tour will be going deeper into Africa in 2018 when the KCB Karen Masters is played, just outside Nairobi, from 19 – 22 July at Karen Country Club.
The title sponsor of the $150,000 tournament is Kenya Commercial Bank, and that partnership substantially expands the Sunshine Tour’s reach into sub-Saharan Africa.
‘We are really pleased that a partnership with Kenya Commercial Bank has given us this opportunity to expand the Sunshine Tour into fresh territory,’ said Sunshine Toure executive director, Selwyn Nathan.
‘Giving our members opportunities on an international stage is very exciting, and we believe the partnership will grow into the future.’
KCB marketing and communication director, Angela Mwirigi, highlighted the importance of the event in Kenyan sports circles by saying, ‘The KCB Karen Masters remains our most visible vehicle to share the greatness of the sport. The tournament is on course to becoming the pre-eminent professional competition in East Africa. We expect a thrilling competition, and, hopefully, it will provide massive excitement for the fans.’
‘Firstly, we’re excited to get this tournament going. Venturing into Kenya and partnering with Kenya Commercial Bank reaffirms what the Sunshine Tour is about. We’re going to make the KCM Karen Masters a hit on the 2018 schedule,’ said Sunshine Tour Tournament director Gary Todd at the launch.
Founded in 1937, Karen Country Club prides itself on being one of the oldest golf clubs in Kenya. A large part of the 18-hole course was built on the former coffee estate developed by the Danish pioneer Karen Blixen, whose life and times were depicted in the book and eventual lyrical film ‘Out of Africa’. Indeed, the shade trees from her coffee plantation still dominate parts of the golf course, 80 years after they were planted.
Karen Country Club has one of the finest golf courses in sub-Saharan Africa. The club has come a long way from the small, flat greens, to slightly larger greens to cope with higher everyday usage. The 25-million shillings spent redesigning and remodelling all 18 greens have proven to be substantial steps towards making Karen Country Club a first-class golfing facility.
The course is a superbly maintained par-72 for men, and a challenging 6341 metres in length from the championship tees.
